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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/compleatanglerorOOwaltrich 


You  are  well  overtaken,  Gentlemen,  a  g^ood  morning  to  you  both. 


COMPLFAT  "ANGLEIL 

or  Ik  (bNTEnrmrivE  Mm/  RECREmiON: 

iieiivg,  <x  Di/cour/e  ofTlSti&TlSfilNG 

not  ur0drf^tKe  perij/al  (/ mg/t  ZncferJ: 

Walton. 


Wit^  Illu/rrdtionj 

6^  JAmej'TfsQrpe 

HODDEK.  &  STOUGHTON 

Na^  York  &  iQudori 


nil 


TO  THE 
RIGHT  WORSHIPFUL 

JOHN    OFFLEY 

OF 

MADELY  MANOR,   IN  THE  COUNTY  OF 
STAFFORD,  ESQ. 

My  most  Honoured  Friend. 

Sir, 
I  HAVE  made  so  ill  use  of  your  former  favours,  as  by  them 
to  be  encouraged  to  entreat  that  they  may  be  enlarged  to  the 
Patronage  and  Protection  of  this  Book ;  and  I  have  put  on  a 
modest  confidence,  that  I  shall  not  be  denied,  because  it  is  a 
Discourse  of  Fish  and  Fishing,  which  you  know  so  well,  and 
both  love  and  practise  so  much. 

You  are  assured,  though  there  be  ignorant  men  of  another 
belief,  that  Angling  is  an  Art;  and  you  know  that  Art  better 
than  others;  and  that  this  is  truth,  is  demonstrated  by  the 
fruits  of  that  pleasant  labour  which  you  enjoy  when  you 
purpose  to  give  rest  to  your  mind,  and  divest  yourself  of  your 
more  serious  business,  and,  which  is  often,  dedicate  a  day  or 
two  to  this  recreation. 

At  which  time,  if  common  Anglers  should  attend  you,  and  be 
eye-witnesses  of  the  success,  not  of  your  fortune  but  your  skill, 
it  would  doubtless  beget  in  them  an  emulation  to  be  like  you, 
and  that  emulation  might  beget  an  industrious  diligence  to  be 
so :  but  I  know  it  is  not  attainable  by  common  capacities.    And 


ivi3731S2 


THE   EPISTLE   DEDICATORY 

there  be  now  many  men  of  great  wisdom,  learning,  and  ex- 
perience, which  love  and  practise  this  Art,  that  know  I  speak 
the  truth. 

Sir, — This  pleasant  curiosity  of  Fish  and  Fishing,  of  which 
you  are  so  great  a  master,  has  been  thought  worthy  the  pens 
and  practises  of  divers  in  other  nations,  that  have  been  reputed 
men  of  great  learning  and  wisdom,  and  amongst  those  of  this 
nation,  I  remember  Sir  Henry  Wotton,  a  dear  lover  of  this  Art, 
has  told  me  that  his  intentions  were  to  write  a  Discourse  of 
the  Art,  and  in  praise  of  Angling :  and  doubtless  he  had  done 
so,  if  death  had  not  prevented  him ;  the  remembrance  of  which 
hath  often  made  me  sorry;  for  if  he  had  lived  to  do  it,  then 
the  unlearned  Angler  had  seen  some  better  Treatise  of  this  Art, 
a  Treatise  that  might  have  proved  worthy  his  perusal,  which, 
though  some  have  undertaken,  I  could  never  yet  see  in  English. 

But  mine  may  be  thought  as  weak,  and  as  unworthy  of 
common  view ;  and  I  do  here  freely  confess,  that  I  should  rather 
excuse  myself,  than  censure  others,  my  own  discourse  being 
liable  to  so  many  exceptions;  against  whic^h,  you,  Sir,  might 
make  this  one, — That  it  can  contribute  nothing  to  your  know- 
ledge. And  lest  a  longer  Epistle  may  diminish  your  pleasure, 
I  shall  make  this  no  longer  than  to  add  this  following  truth, 

That  I  am  really, 

Sir, 

Your  affectionate  Friend, 

And  most  humble  Servant, 

Iz.  Wa. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

You  are  well  overtaken,  Gentlemen,  a  good  morning 

to  you  both Frontispiece 


PAGE 


I  thought  we  had  wanted  three  miles  of  this  house  till 
you  shewed  it  to  me:  but  now  we  are  at  it,  we'll 
turn  into  it,  and  refresh  ourselves 9 

There  my  Hostess  shall  now  dress  it  after  my  fashion, 

and  I  warrant  it  good  meat 21 

Get  secretly   behind    the  tree,   and    stand    as   free  from 

motion  as  is  possible 37 

Here's  to  you  a  hearty  draught,  and  to  all  that  love  us, 

and  the  honest  Art  of  Angling 51 

Who  Hunts,  doth  oft  in  danger  ride ; 
Who  Hawks,  lures  oft  both  far  and  wide ; 
Who  uses  Games  shall  often  prove 
A  loser ;  but  who  falls  in  love. 

Is  fettered  in  fond  Cupid's  snare : 

My  Angle  breeds  me  no  such  care      ...       59 

And  then  an  ingenious  Angler  may  walk  by  the  river 

and  mark  what  flies  fall  on  the  water  that  day       .        .       71 

The  great  Trout  that  is  near  an  ell  long,  which  was  of 
such  a  length  and  depth,  that  he  had  his  picture 
drawn 81 

vii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGB 


Old  Oliver  Henley,  now  with    God,  a  noted   Fisher  both 

for  Trout  and  Salmon 91 

How  to  roast  him  when  he  is  caught loi 

Go  yourself  so  far  from  the  water-side,  that  you  per- 
ceive nothing  but  the  top  of  the  floats,  which  you 
must  watch  most  diligently 113 

I  have  taken  many  a  good  Eel  by  Snigling    ....     125 

In  a  morning  up  we  rise,  ere  Aurora  *s  peeping. 
Drink  a  cup  to  wash  our  eyes,  leave   the  sluggard 

sleeping: 135 

To  that  purpose  I  will  go  with  you  to  Mr.  John  Stubs, 

near  to  the  Swan  in  Golden-lane 145 

Makes  excellent  sport   for   young  Anglers,  or   boys,  or 

women  that  love  that  recreation 153 

And  pray  let's  now  rest  ourselves  in  this  sweet  shady 
arbour,  which  Nature  herself  has  woven  with  her 
own  fine  fingers 163 


Vlll 


CHAPTER  I.  A  CONFERENCE  BETWIXT  AN  ANGLER, 
A  HUNTER,  AND  A  FALCONER;  EACH  COMMENDING 
HIS   RECREATION 

PISCATOR,  VENATOR,  AUCEPS 

PISCATOR.  You  are  well  overtaken,  Gentlemen,  a  good 
morning  to  you  both ;  I  have  stretched  my  legs  up 
Tottenham-hill  to  overtake  you,  hoping  your  business 
may  occasion  you  towards  Ware,  whither  I  am  going  this  fine, 
fresh.  May  morning. 

Venator.  Sir,  I  for  my  part  shall  almost  answer  your 
hopes;  for  my  purpose  is  to  drink  my  morning's  draught  at 
the  Thatched-house  in  Hodsden,  and  I  think  not  to  rest  till 
I  come  thither,  where  I  have  appointed  a  friend  or  two  to 
meet  me:  but  for  this  Gentleman  that  you  see  with  me,  I 
know  not  how  far  he  intends  his  journey;  he  came  so  lately 
into  my  company,  that  I  have  scarce  had  time  to  ask  him 
the  question. 

AucEPS.  Sir,  I  shall  by  your  favour  bear  you  company  as 
far  as  Theobald's ;  and  there  leave  you,  for  then  I  turn  up  to  a 
friend's  house  who  mews  a  Hawk  for  me,  which  I  now  long 
to  see. 

Ven.  Sir,  we  are  all  so  happy  as  to  have  a  fine,  fresh, 
cool  morning,  and  I  hope  we  shall  each  be  the  happier  in  the 
other's  company.  And,  Gentlemen,  that  I  may  not  lose  yours, 
I  shall  either  abate,  or  amend  my  pace  to  enjoy  it;  knowing 
that,  as  the  Italians  say,  *Good  company  in  a  journey  makes 
the  way  to  seem  the  shorter.* 

Auc.  It  may  do  so.  Sir,  with  the  help  of  good  discourse, 
which  methinks  we  may  promise  from  you  that  both  look  and 
speak  so  cheerfully:  and  for  my  part  I  promise  you,  as  an 
invitation  to  it,  that  I  will  be  as  free  and  open-hearted,  as 
discretion  will  allow  me  to  be  with  strangers. 


A   CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

Ven.   And,  Sir,  I  promise  the  like. 

Pisc.  I  am  right  glad  to  hear  your  answers,  and  in 
confidence  you  speak  the  truth,  I  shall  put  on  a  boldness  to  ask 
you.  Sir,  whether  business  or  pleasure  caused  you  to  be  so 
early  up,  and  walk  so  fast,  for  this  other  Gentleman  hath 
declared  he  is  going  to  see  a  hawk,  that  a  friend  mews  for  him. 

Ven.  Sir,  mine  is  a  mixture  of  both,  a  little  business  and 
more  pleasure,  for  I  intend  this  day  to  do  all  my  business,  and 
then  bestow  another  day  or  two  in  hunting  the  Otter,  which  a 
friend  that  I  go  to  meet,  tells  me,  is  much  pleasanter  than  any 
other  chase  whatsoever:  howsoever  I  mean  to  try  it;  for  to- 
morrow morning  we  shall  meet  a  pack  of  Otter-dogs  of  noble 
Mr.  Sadler's,  upon  Amwell-hill,  who  will  be  there  so  early,  that 
they  intend  to  prevent  the  Sun  rising. 

Pisc.  Sir,  my  fortune  has  answered  my  desires,  and  my 
purpose  is  to  bestow  a  day  or  two  in  helping  to  destroy  some 
of  those  villainous  vermin,  for  I  hate  them  perfectly,  because 
they  love  fish  so  well,  or  rather,  because  they  destroy  so  much ; 
indeed  so  much,  that  in  my  judgment  all  men  that  keep  Otter- 
dogs ought  to  have  pensions  from  the  King  to  encourage  them 
to  destroy  the  very  breed  of  those  base  Otters,  they  do  so  much 
mischief. 

Ven.  But  what  say  you  to  the  Foxes  of  the  Nation,  would 
not  you  as  willingly  have  them  destroyed?  for  doubtless  they 
do  as  much  mischief  as  Otters  do. 

Pisc  Oh  Sir,  if  they  do,  it  is  not  so  much  to  me  and  my 
fraternity  as  those  base  vermin  the  Otters  do. 

Auc.  Why,  Sir,  I  pray,  of  what  fraternity  are  you,  that  you 
are  so  angry  with  the  poor  Otters? 

Pisc  I  am.  Sir,  a  brother  of  the  Angle,  and  therefore  an 
enemy  to  the  Otter:  for  you  are  to  note,  that  we  Anglers  all 
love  one  another,  and  therefore  do  I  hate  the  Otter,  both  for 
my  own  and  for  their  sakes  who  are  of  my  brotherhood. 

Ven.  And  I  am  a  lover  of  Hounds;  I  have  followed  many 
a  pack  of  dogs  many  a  mile,  and  heard  many  merry  huntsmen 
make  sport  and  scoff  at  Anglers. 

Auc.  And  I  profess  myself  a  Falconer,  and  have  heard  many 
grave,  serious  men  pity  them,  'tis  such  a  heavy,  contemptible, 
dull  recreation. 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A  FALCONER 

Pisc.  You  know.  Gentlemen,  'tis  an  easy  thing  to  scoff  at 
any  art  or  recreation ;  a  little  wit  mixed  with  ill-nature,  con- 
fidence, and  maHce,  will  do  it;  but  though  they  often  venture 
boldly,  yet  they  are  often  caught  even  in  their  own  trap,  accord- 
ing to  that  of  Lucian,  the  father  of  the  family  of  Scoffers. 

Lucian,  well  skill'd  in  scoffing,  this  hath  writ, 
Friend,  that's  your  folly  which  you  think  your  wit; 
This  you  vent  oft,  void  both  of  wit  and  fear, 
Meaning  another,  when  yourself  you  jeer. 

If  to  this  you  add  what  Solomon  says  of  Scoffers,  that  *  they 
are  an  abomination  to  mankind,'  Prov.  xxiv.  9.  let  him  that 
thinks  fit,  scoff  on,  and  be  a  scoffer  still ;  but  I  account  them 
enemies  to  me,  and  to  all  that  love  virtue  and  Angling. 

And  for  you  that  have  heard  many  grave  serious  men  pity 
Anglers;  let  me  tell  you.  Sir,  there  be  many  men  that  are  by 
others  taken  to  be  serious  and  grave  men,  which  we  contemn 
and  pity.  Men  that  are  taken  to  be  grave,  because  nature 
hath  made  them  of  a  sour  complexion,  money-getting  men, 
men  that  spend  all  their  time  first  in  getting,  and  next  in 
anxious  care  to  keep  it;  men  that  are  condemned  to  be  rich, 
and  then  always  busy  or  discontented :  for  these  poor-rich-men, 
we  Anglers  pity  them  perfectly,  and  stand  in  no  need  to  borrow 
their  thoughts  to  think  ourselves  so  happy.  No,  no.  Sir,  we 
enjoy  a  contentedness  above  the  reach  of  such  dispositions,  and 
as  the  learned  and  ingenuous  Montaigne  says  like  himself  freely, 
*When  my  Cat  and  I  entertain  each  other  with  mutual  apish 
tricks,  as  playing  with  a  garter,  who  knows  but  that  I  make  my 
Cat  more  sport  than  she  makes  me?  Shall  I  conclude  her  to 
be  simple,  that  has  her  time  to  begin  or  refuse  to  play  as  freely 
as  I  myself  have?  Nay,  who  knows  but  that  it  is  a  defect  of 
my  not  understanding  her  language  (for  doubtless  Cats  talk 
and  reason  with  one  another)  that  we  agree  no  better :  and  who 
knows  but  that  she  pities  me  for  being  no  wiser,  than  to  play 
with  her,  and  laughs  and  censures  my  folly  for  making  sport  for 
her,  when  we  two  play  together?' 

Thus  freely  speaks  Montaigne  concerning  Cats,  and  I  hope 
I  may  take  as  great  a  liberty  to  blame  any  man,  and  laugh  at 
him  too  let  him  be  never  so  grave,  that  hath  not  heard  what 
Anglers  can  say  in  the  justification  of  their  art  and  recreation ; 

3 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

which  I  may  again  tell  you  is  so  full  of  pleasure,  that  we  need 
not  borrow  their  thoughts  to  think  ourselves  happy. 

Ven.  Sir,  you  have  almost  amazed  me,  for  though  I  am  no 
scoffer,  yet  I  have,  I  pray  let  me  speak  it  without  offence,  always 
looked  upon  Anglers  as  more  patient  and  more  simple  men, 
than  I  fear  I  shall  find  you  to  be. 

Pisc.  Sir,  I  hope  you  will  not  judge  my  earnestness  to  be 
impatience :  and  for  my  simplicity,  if  by  that  you  mean  a  harm- 
lessness,  or  that  simplicity  which  was  usually  found  in  the 
primitive  Christians,  who  were,  as  most  Anglers  are,  quiet  men, 
and  followers  of  peace ;  men  that  were  so  simply-wise,  as  not 
to  sell  their  consciences  to  buy  riches,  and  with  them  vexation 
and  a  fear  to  die;  if  you  mean  such  simple  men  as  lived  in 
those  times  when  there  were  fewer  Lawyers ;  when  men  might 
have  had  a  Lordship  safely  conveyed  to  them  in  a  piece  of 
parchment  no  bigger  than  your  hand,  though  several  sheets 
will  not  do  it  safely  in  this  wiser  age,  I  say.  Sir,  if  you  take  us 
Anglers  to  be  such  simple  men  as  I  have  spoken  of,  then  myself 
and  those  of  my  profession  will  be  glad  to  be  so  understood: 
But  if  by  simplicity  you  meant  to  express  a  general  defect  in 
those  that  profess  and  practise  the  excellent  Art  of  Angling,  I 
hope  in  time  to  disabuse  you,  and  make  the  contrary  appear  so 
evidently,  that  if  you  will  but  have  patience  to  hear  me,  I  shall 
remove  all  the  anticipations  that  discourse,  or  time,  or  prejudice 
have  possessed  you  with  against  that  laudable  and  ancient  Art ; 
for  I  know  it  is  worthy  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  a  wise  man. 

But,  Gentlemen,  though  I  be  able  to  do  this,  I  am  not  so 
unmannerly  as  to  engross  all  the  discourse  to  myself;  and 
therefore,  you  two  having  declared  yourselves,  the  one  to  be  a 
lover  of  Hawks,  the  other  of  Hounds,  I  shall  be  most  glad  to 
hear  what  you  can  say  in  the  commendation  of  that  recreation 
which  each  of  you  love  and  practise;  and  having  heard  what 
you  can  say,  I  shall  be  glad  to  exercise  your  attention  with 
what  I  can  say  concerning  my  own  recreation  and  Art  of 
Angling,  and  by  this  means,  we  shall  make  the  way  to  seem  the 
shorter :  and  if  you  like  my  motion,  I  would  have  Mr.  Falconer 
to  begin. 

Auc.   Your  motion  is  consented  to  with  all  my  heart,  and 
to  testify  it,  I  will  begin  as  you  have  desired  me. 
4 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

And  first,  for  the  element  that  I  used  to  trade  in,  which  is 
the  Air,  an  element  of  more  worth  than  weight,  an  element 
that  doubtless  exceeds  both  the  earth  and  water;  for  though 
I  sometimes  deal  in  both,  yet  the  air  is  most  properly  mine,  I 
and  my  Hawks  use  that  most,  and  it  yields  us  most  recreation ; 
it  stops  not  the  high  soaring  of  my  noble  generous  Falcon ;  in 
it  she  ascends  to  such  an  height,  as  the  dull  eyes  of  beasts  and 
fish  are  not  able  to  reach  to;  their  bodies  are  too  gross  for 
such  high  elevations:  in  the  air  my  troops  of  Hawks  soar  up 
on  high,  and  when  they  are  lost  in  the  sight  of  men,  then  they 
attend  upon  and  converse  with  the  Gods ;  therefore  I  think  my 
Eagle  is  so  justly  stiled  Jove's  servant  in  ordinary:  and  that 
very  Falcon,  that  I  am  now  going  to  see,  deserves  no  meaner 
a  title,  for  she  usually  in  her  flight  endangers  herself,  like  the 
son  of  Daedalus,  to  have  her  wings  scorched  by  the  Sun's  heat, 
she  flies  so  near  it,  but  her  mettle  makes  her  careless  of  danger ; 
for  she  then  heeds  nothing,  but  makes  her  nimble  pinions  cut 
the  fluid  air,  and  so  makes  her  high  way  over  the  steepest 
mountains  and  deepest  rivers,  and  in  her  glorious  career  looks 
with  contempt  upon  those  high  steeples  and  magnificent  palaces 
which  we  adore  and  wonder  at ;  from  which  height  I  can  make 
her  to  descend  by  a  word  from  my  mouth,  (which  she  both  knows 
and  obeys),  to  accept  of  meat  from  my  hand,  to  own  me  for  her 
Master,  to  go  home  with  me,  and  be  willing  the  next  day  to 
afford  me  the  like  recreation. 

And  more ;  this  element  of  air  which  I  profess  to  trade  in, 
the  worth  of  it  is  such,  and  it  is  of  such  necessity,  that  no 
creature  whatsoever,  not  only  those  numerous  creatures  that 
feed  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  but  those  various  creatures  that 
have  their  dwelling  within  the  waters,  every  creature  that  hath 
life  in  it's  nostrils  stands  in  need  of  my  element.  The  waters 
cannot  preserve  the  Fish  without  air,  witness  the  not  breaking 
of  ice  in  an  extreme  frost ;  the  reason  is,  for  that  if  the  inspiring 
and  expiring  organ  of  any  animal  be  stopped,  it  suddenly  yields 
to  nature,  and  dies.  Thus  necessary  is  air  to  the  existence 
both  of  Fish  and  Beasts,  nay,  even  to  Man  himself;  that  air  or 
breath  of  life  with  which  God  at  first  inspired  mankind.  Gen.  ii.  7., 
he,  if  he  wants  it,  dies  presently,  becomes  a  sad  object  to  all  that 
loved  and  beheld  him,  and  in  an  instant  turns  to  putrefaction. 

5 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

Nay  more,  the  very  birds  of  the  air,  those  that  be  not 
Hawks,  are  both  so  many  and  so  useful  and  pleasant  to  man- 
kind, that  I  must  not  let  them  pass  without  some  observations : 
they  both  feed  and  refresh  him;  feed  him  with  their  choice 
bodies,  and  refresh  him  with  their  heavenly  voices.  I  will  not 
undertake  to  mention  the  several  kinds  of  fowl  by  which  this 
is  done ;  and  his  curious  palate  pleased  by  day,  and  which  with 
their  very  excrements  afford  him  a  soft  lodging  at  night.  These 
I  will  pass  by,  but  not  those  little  nimble  musicians  of  the  air, 
that  warble  forth  their  curious  ditties,  with  which  nature  hath 
furnished  them  to  the  shame  of  art. 

As  first  the  Lark,  when  she  means  to  rejoice,  to  cheer 
herself  and  those  that  hear  her,  she  then  quits  the  earth,  and 
sings  as  she  ascends  higher  into  the  air,  and  having  ended  her 
heavenly  employment,  grows  then  mute  and  sad  to  think  she 
must  descend  to  the  dull  earth,  which  she  would  not  touch  but 
for  necessity. 

How  do  the  Black-bird  and  Thrassel  with  their  melodious 
voices,  bid  welcome  to  the  cheerful  Spring,  and  in  their  fixed 
months  warble  forth  such  ditties  as  no  art  or  instrument  can 
reach  to? 

Nay,  the  smaller  birds  also  do  the  like  in  their  particular 
seasons,  as  namely  the  Leverock,  the  Titlark,  the  little  Linnet, 
and  the  honest  Robin,  that  loves  mankind  both  alive  and  dead. 

But  the  Nightingale,  another  of  my  airy  creatures,  breathes 
such  sweet  loud  music  out  of  her  little  instrumental  throat,  that 
it  might  make  mankind  to  think  miracles  are  not  ceased.  He 
that  at  midnight,  when  the  very  labourer  sleeps  securely,  should 
hear,  as  I  have  very  often,  the  clear  airs,  the  sweet  descants, 
the  natural  rising  and  falling,  the  doubling  and  redoubling  of 
her  voice,  might  well  be  lifted  above  earth,  and  say.  Lord,  what 
music  hast  thou  provided  for  the  Saints  in  Heaven,  when  thou 
affordest  bad  men  such  music  on  Earth! 

And  this  makes  me  the  less  to  wonder  at  the  many  Aviaries 
in  Italy,  or  at  the  great  charge  of  Varro  his  Aviary,  the  ruins  of 
which  are  yet  to  be  seen  in  Rome,  and  is  still  so  famous  there, 
that  it  is  reckoned  for  one  of  those  notables  which  men  of 
foreign  nations  either  record,  or  lay  up  in  their  memories  when 
they  return  from  travel. 
6 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND  A   FALCONER 

This  for  the  birds  of  pleasure,  of  which  very  much  more 
might  be  said.  My  next  shall  be  of  birds  of  political  use;  I 
think  'tis  not  to  be  doubted  that  swallows  have  been  taught 
to  carry  letters  between  two  armies.  But  'tis  certain,  that 
when  the  Turks  besieged  Malta  or  Rhodes,  I  now  remember 
not  which  'twas.  Pigeons  are  then  related  to  carry  and  recarry 
letters.  And  Mr.  G.  Sandys,  in  his  *  Travels,'  relates  it  to  be  done 
betwixt  Aleppo  and  Babylon.  But  if  that  be  disbelieved,  'tis 
not  to  be  doubted  that  the  Dove  was  sent  out  of  the  Ark  by 
Noah,  to  give  him  notice  of  land,  when  to  him  all  appeared 
to  be  sea,  and  the  Dove  proved  a  faithful  and  comfortable 
messenger.  And  for  the  Sacrifices  of  the  Law,  a  pair  of  Turtle 
Doves  or  young  Pigeons,  were  as  well  accepted  as  costly  Bulls 
and  Rams.  And  when  God  would  feed  the  Prophet  Elijah, 
I  Kings  xvii.  4-6.  after  a  kind  of  miraculous  manner,  he  did  it 
by  Ravens,  who  brought  him  meat  morning  and  evening. 
Lastly,  the  Holy  Ghost,  when  he  descended  visibly  upon  our 
Saviour,  did  it  by  assuming  the  shape  of  a  Dove.  And  to  con- 
clude this  part  of  my  discourse,  pray  remember  these  wonders 
were  done  by  birds  of  the  air,  the  element  in  which  they  and  I 
take  so  much  pleasure. 

There  is  also  a  little  contemptible  winged  creature,  an 
inhabitant  of  my  aerial  element,  namely  the  laborious  Bee,  of 
whose  prudence,  policy,  and  regular  government  of  their  own 
common-wealth,  I  might  say  much,  as  also  of  their  several 
kinds,  and  how  useful  their  honey  and  wax  is  both  for  meat 
and  medicines  to  mankind ;  but  I  will  leave  them  to  their  sweet 
labour,  without  the  least  disturbance,  believing  them  to  be  all 
very  busy  at  this  very  time  amongst  the  herbs  and  flowers  that 
we  see  nature  puts  forth  this  May  morning. 

And  now  to  return  to  my  Hawks,  from  whom  I  have  made 
too  long  a  digression;  you  are  to  note,  that  they  are  usually 
distinguished  into  two  kinds ;  namely,  the  Long-winged  and 
the  Short- winged  Hawk :  of  the  first  kind,  there  be  chiefly  in 
use  amongst  us  in  this  nation. 

The  Gerfalcon  and  Jerkin. 
The  Falcon  and  Tassel-gentle. 
The  Laner  and  Laneret. 
The  Bockerel  and  Bockeret. 

7 


A   CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

The  Saker  and  Sacaret. 

The  Merlin  and  Jack  Merlin. 

The  Hobby  and  Jack. 
There  is  the  Stelletto  of  Spain. 

The  Blood-red  Rook  from  Turkey. 

The  Waskite  from  Virginia. 
And  there  is  of  short-winged  Hawks, 

The  Eagle  and  Iron. 

The  Goshawk  and  Tarcel. 

The  Sparhawk  and  Musket. 

The  French  Pye  of  two  sorts. 
These  are  reckoned  Hawks  of  note  and  worth,  but  we  have 
also  of  an  inferior  rank. 

The  Stanyel,  the  Ringtail, 

The  Raven,  the  Buzzard, 

The  Forked  Kite,  the  Bald  Buzzard. 

The  Hen-driver,  and  others  that  I  forbear  to  name. 
Gentlemen,  if  I  should  enlarge  my  discourse  to  the  obser- 
vation of  the  Eires,  the  Brancher,  the  Ramish  Hawk,  the 
Haggard,  and  the  two  sorts  of  Lentners,  and  then  treat  of  their 
several  Ayries,  their  Mewings,  rare  order  of  casting,  and  the 
renovg,tion  of  their  feathers ;  their  reclaiming,  dieting,  and  then 
come  to  their  rare  stories  of  practice ;  I  say,  if  I  should  enter 
into  these,  and  many  other  observations  that  I  could  make,  it 
would  be  much,  very  much  pleasure  to  me:  but  lest  I  should 
break  the  rules  of  civility  with  you,  by  taking  up  more  than 
the  proportion  of  time  allotted  to  me,  I  will  here  break  off,  and 
entreat  you,  Mr.  Venator,  to  say  what  you  are  able  in  the  com- 
mendation of  Hunting,  to  which  you  are  so  much  affected ;  and 
if  time  will  serve,  I  will  beg  your  favour  for  a  further  enlargement 
of  some  of  those  several  heads  of  which  I  have  spoken.  But 
no  more  at  present. 

Ven.  Well,  Sir,  and  I  will  now  take  my  turn,  and  will  first 
begin  with  a  commendation  of  the  Earth,  as  you  have  done 
most  excellently  of  the  Air ;  the  earth  being  that  element  upon 
which  I  drive  my  pleasant,  wholsome,  hungry  trade.  The  earth 
is  a  solid,  settled  element ;  an  element  most  universally  beneficial 
both  to  man  and  beast :  to  men  who  have  their  several  recrea- 
tions upon  it,  as  Horse-races,  Hunting,  sweet  smells,  pleasant 
8 


I  thought  we  had  wanted  three  miles  of  this  house  till  you  shewed  it  to  me :  but  now  we 

are  at  it,  we  '11  turn  into  it,  and  refresh  ourselves. 

B 


AN  ANGLER,  A  HUNTER,  AND   A  FALCONER 

walks :  the  Earth  feeds  man,  and  all  those  several  beasts  that 
both  feed  him,  and  afford  him  recreation :  What  pleasure  doth 
man  take  in  hunting  the  stately  Stag,  the  generous  Buck,  the 
wild  Boar,  the  cunning  Otter,  the  crafty  Fox,  and  the  fearful 
Hare  ?  And  if  I  may  descend  to  a  lower  game,  what  pleasure 
is  it  sometimes  with  gins  to  betray  the  very  vermin  of  the  earth  ? 
as  namely,  the  Fitchet,  the  Fulimart,  the  Ferret,  the  Pole-cat, 
the  Mould-warp,  and  the  like  creatures  that  live  upon  the  face, 
and  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth  ?  How  doth  the  earth  bring 
forth  herbs,  flowers,  and  fruits,  both  for  physic  and  the  pleasure 
of  mankind  ?  and  above  all,  to  me  at  least,  the  fruitful  Vine,  of 
which,  when  I  drink  moderately,  it  clears  my  brain,  cheers  my 
heart,  and  sharpens  my  wit.  How  could  Cleopatra  have  feasted 
Mark  Antony  with  eight  Wild  Boars  roasted  whole  at  one 
supper,  and  other  meat  suitable,  if  the  earth  had  not  been  a 
bountiful  mother  ?  But  to  pass  by  the  mighty  Elephant,  which 
the  earth  breeds  and  nourisheth,  and  descend  to  the  least  of 
creatures,  how  doth  the  earth  afford  us  a  doctrinal  example  in 
the  little  Pismire,  who  in  the  Summer  provides  and  lays  up 
her  Winter  provision,  and  teaches  man  to  do  the  like?  The 
earth  feeds  and  carries  those  horses  that  carry  us.  If  I  would 
be  prodigal  of  my  time  and  your  patience,  what  might  not  I  say 
in  commendations  of  the  earth?  that  puts  limits  to  the  proud 
and  raging  sea,  and  by  that  means  preserves  both  man  and 
beast  that  it  destroys  them  not,  as  we  see  it  daily  doth  those 
that  venture  upon  the  sea,  and  are  there  shipwrecked,  drowned, 
and  left  to  feed  Haddocks ;  when  we  that  are  so  wise  as  to  keep 
ourselves  on  earth,  walk,  and  talk,  and  live,  and  eat,  and  drink, 
and  go  a  hunting:  of  which  recreation  I  will  say  a  little,  and 
then  leave  Mr.  Piscator  to  the  commendation  of  Angling. 

Hunting  is  a  game  for  Princes  and  noble  persons;  it  hath 
been  highly  prized  in  all  ages ;  it  was  one  of  the  qualifications 
that  Xenophon  bestowed  on  his  Cyrus,  that  he  was  a  hunter  of 
wild  beasts.  Hunting  trains  up  the  younger  nobility  to  the  use 
of  manly  exercises  in  their  riper  age.  What  more  manly 
exercise  than  hunting  the  Wild  Boar,  the  Stag,  the  Buck,  the 
Fox,  or  the  Hare?  how  doth  it  preserve  health,  and  increase 
strength  and  activity? 

And  for  the  dogs  that  we  use,  who  can  commend  their 

9 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

excellency  to  that  height  which  they  deserve?  how  perfect  is 
the  Hound  at  smelling,  who  never  leaves  or  forsakes  his  first 
scent,  but  follows  it  through  so  many  changes  and  varieties  of 
other  scents,  even  over,  and  in  the  water,  and  into  the  earth? 
What  music  doth  a  pack  of  dogs  then  make  to  any  man,  whose 
heart  and  ears  are  so  happy  as  to  be  set  to  the  tune  of  such 
instruments?  How  will  a  right  Greyhound  fix  his  eye  on  the 
best  Buck  in  a  herd,  single  him  out,  and  follow  him,  and  him 
only,  through  a  whole  herd  of  rascal  game,  and  still  know  and 
then  kill  him  ?  For  my  Hounds  I  know  the  language  of  them, 
and  they  know  the  language  and  meaning  of  one  another,  as 
perfectly  as  we  know  the  voices  of  those  with  whom  we  dis- 
course daily. 

I  might  enlarge  myself  in  the  commendation  of  Hunting, 
and  of  the  noble  Hound  especially,  as  also  of  the  docibleness  of 
dogs  in  general ;  and  I  might  make  many  observations  of  Land- 
creatures,  that  for  composition,  order,  figure,  and  constitution, 
approach  nearest  to  the  completeness  and  understanding  of 
man;  especially  of  those  creatures  which  Moses  in  the  Law 
permitted  to  the  Jews,  Lev.  xi.  2-8.  which  have  cloven  hoofs  and 
chew  the  cud,  which  I  shall  forbear  to  name,  because  I  will  not 
be  so  uncivil  to  Mr.  Piscator,  as  not  to  allow  him  a  time  for  the 
commendation  of  Angling,  which  he  calls  an  Art ;  but  doubtless 
'tis  an  easy  one :  and,  Mr.  Auceps,  I  doubt  we  shall  hear  a 
watery  discourse  of  it,  but  I  hope  'twill  not  be  a  long  one. 

Auc.   And  I  hope  so  too,  though  I  fear  it  will. 

Pisc.  Gentlemen,  let  not  prejudice  prepossess  you.  I  con- 
fess my  discourse  is  like  to  prove  suitable  to  my  recreation, 
calm  and  quiet;  we  seldom  take  the  name  of  God  into  our 
mouths,  but  it  is  either  to  praise  him  or  pray  to  him ;  if  others 
use  it  vainly  in  the  midst  of  their  recreations,  so  vainly  as  if 
they  meant  to  conjure ;  I  must  tell  you,  it  is  neither  our  fault 
nor  our  custom;  we  protest  against  it.  But,  pray  remember, 
I  accuse  nobody ;  for  as  I  would  not  make  a  watery  discourse, 
so  I  would  not  put  too  much  vinegar  into  it ;  nor  would  I 
raise  the  reputation  of  my  own  art  by  the  diminution  or 
ruin  of  another's.  And  so  much  for  the  Prologue  to  what  I 
mean  to  say. 

And  now  for  the  Water,  the  element  that  I  trade  in.    The 

lO 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

water  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  creation,  the  element  upon 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  did  first  move,  Gen.  i.  2.  the  element 
which  God  commanded  to  bring  forth  living  creatures  abun- 
dantly; and  without  which,  those  that  inhabit  the  land,  even 
all  creatures  that  have  breath  in  their  nostrils,  must  suddenly 
return  to  putrefaction.  Moses,  the  great  Law-giver  and  chief 
philosopher,  skilled  in  all  the  learning  of  the  Egyptians,  who 
was  called  the  friend  of  God,  and  knew  the  mind  of  the 
Almighty,  names  this  element  the  first  in  the  creation ;  this  is 
the  element  upon  which  the  Spirit  of  God  did  first  move,  and  is 
the  chief  ingredient  in  the  creation :  many  Philosophers  have 
made  it  to  comprehend  all  the  other  elements,  and  most  allow 
it  the  chiefest  in  the  mixtion  of  all  living  creatures. 

There  be  that  profess  to  believe  that  all  bodies  are  made 
of  water,  and  may  be  reduced  back  again  to  water  only :  they 
endeavour  to  demonstrate  it  thus: 

Take  a  Willow,  or  any  like  speedy  growing  plant,  newly 
rooted  in  a  box  or  barrel  full  of  earth,  weigh  them  all  together 
exactly  when  the  trees  begin  to  grow,  and  then  weigh  all 
together  after  the  tree  is  increased  from  it's  first  rooting  to 
weigh  an  hundred  pound  weight  more  than  when  it  was  first 
rooted  and  weighed;  and  you  shall  find  this  augment  of  the 
tree  to  be  without  the  diminution  of  one  dram  weight  of  the 
earth.  Hence  they  infer  this  increase  of  wood  to  be  from  water 
of  rain,  or  from  dew,  and  not  to  be  from  any  other  element. 
And  they  affirm,  they  can  reduce  this  wood  back  again  to  water ; 
and  they  affirm  also  the  same  may  be  done  in  any  animal  or 
vegetable.  And  this  I  take  to  be  a  fair  testimony  of  the 
excellency  of  my  element  of  water. 

The  water  is  more  productive  than  the  earth.  Nay,  the 
earth  hath  no  fruitfulness  without  showers  or  dews;  for  all 
the  herbs,  and  flowers,  and  fruit  are  produced  and  thrive  by 
the  water;  and  the  very  minerals  are  fed  by  streams  that  run 
under  ground,  whose  natural  course  carries  them  to  the  tops 
of  many  high  mountains,  as  we  see  by  several  springs  breaking 
forth  on  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills ;  and  this  is  also  witnessed 
by  the  daily  trial  and  testimony  of  several  miners. 

Nay,  the  increase  of  those  creatures  that  are  bred  and  fed 
in  the  water,  are  not  only  more  and  more  miraculous,  but  more 

II 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

advantageous  to  man,  not  only  for  the  lengthening  of  his  life, 
but  for  the  preventing  of  sickness  ;  for  'tis  observed  by  the  most 
learned  physicians,  that  the  casting  off  of  Lent  and  other  fish- 
days, — which  hath  not  only  given  the  lie  to  so  many  learned, 
pious,  wise  founders  of  colleges,  for  which  we  should  be 
ashamed, — hath  doubtless  been  the  chief  cause  of  those  many 
putrid,  shaking,  intermitting  agues,  unto  which  this  nation  of 
our's  is  now  more  subject  than  those  wiser  countries  that  feed 
on  herbs,  sallads,  and  plenty  of  fish ;  of  which  it  is  observed  in 
story,  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  world  now  do.  And  it  may 
be  fit  to  remember  that  Moses,  Lev.  xi.  9,  Deut.  xiv.  9,  appointed 
fish  to  be  the  chief  diet  for  the  best  common-wealth  that  ever 
yet  was. 

And  it  is  observable,  not  only  that  there  are  fish,  as  namely, 
the  Whale,  three  times  as  big  as  the  mighty  Elephant ;  that  is 
so  fierce  in  battle ;  but  that  the  mightiest  feasts  have  been  made 
of  fish.  The  Romans  in  the  height  of  their  glory  have  made  fish 
the  mistress  of  all  their  entertainments ;  they  have  had  music  to 
usher  in  their  Sturgeons,  Lampreys,  and  Mullets,  which  they 
would  purchase  at  rates  rather  to  be  wondered  at  than  believed. 
He  that  shall  view  the  writings  of  Macrobius,  or  Varro,  may  be 
confirmed  and  informed  of  this,  and  of  the  incredible  value  of 
their  fish  and  fish-ponds. 

But,  Gentlemen,  I  have  almost  lost  myself,  which  I  confess 
I  may  easily  do  in  this  philosophical  discourse ;  I  met  with  most 
of  it  very  lately,  and,  I  hope,  happily,  in  a  conference  with  a 
most  learned  physician.  Dr.  Wharton,  a  dear  friend ;  that  loves 
both  me  and  my  art  of  Angling.  But  however,  I  will  wade  na 
deeper  in  these  mysterious  arguments,  but  pass  to  such  obser- 
vations as  I  can  manage  with  more  pleasure,  and  less  fear  of 
running  into  error.  But  I  must  not  yet  forsake  the  waters,  by 
whose  help  we  have  so  many  known  advantages. 

And  first,  to  pass  by  the  miraculous  cures  of  our  known 
baths,  how  advantageous  is  the  sea  for  our  daily  traffic ;  without 
which  we  could  not  now  subsist?  How  does  it  not  only  furnish 
us  with  food  and  physic  for  the  bodies,  but  with  such  obser- 
vations for  the  mind  as  ingenious  persons  would  not  want? 

How  ignorant  had  we  been  of  the  beauty  of  Florence,  of  the 
monuments,  urns,  and  rarities  that  yet  remain  in,  and  near  unto 
12 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

old  and  new  Rome,  so  many  as  it  is  said  will  take  up  a  year's 
time  to  view,  and  afford  to  each  of  them  but  a  convenient  con- 
sideration; and  therefore  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  so 
learned  and  devout  a  father  as  St.  Jerome,  after  his  wish  to 
have  seen  Christ  in  the  flesh,  and  to  have  heard  St.  Paul  preach, 
makes  his  third  wish,  to  have  seen  Rome  in  her  glory ;  and  that 
glory  is  not  yet  all  lost,  for  what  pleasure  is  it  to  see  the 
monuments  of  Livy,  the  choicest  of  the  Historians :  of  Tully, 
the  best  of  Orators ;  and  to  see  the  bay-trees  that  now  grow  out 
of  the  very  tomb  of  Virgil?  These,  to  any  that  love  learning, 
must  be  pleasing.  But  what  pleasure  is  it  to  a  devout  Christian 
to  see  there  the  humble  house  in  which  St.  Paul  was  content 
to  dwell;  and  to  view  the  many  rich  statues  that  are  there 
made  in  honour  of  his  memory  ?  Nay,  to  see  the  very  place  in 
which  St.  Peter  and  he  lie  buried  together  ?  These  are  in  and 
near  to  Rome.  And  how  much  more  doth  it  please  the  pious 
curiosity  of  a  Christian,  to  see  that  place  on  which  the  blessed 
Saviour  of  the  world  was  pleased  to  humble  himself,  and  to  take 
our  nature  upon  him,  and  to  converse  with  men :  to  see  Mount 
Sion,  Jerusalem,  and  the  very  Sepulchre  of  our  Lord  Jesus? 
How  may  it  beget  and  heighten  the  zeal  of  a  Christian,  to  see 
the  devotions  that  are  daily  paid  to  him  at  that  place  ?  Gentle- 
men, lest  I  forget  myself  I  will  stop  here,  and  remember  you, 
that  but  for  my  element  of  water,  the  inhabitants  of  this  poor 
Island  must  remain  ignorant  that  such  things  ever  were,  or  that 
any  of  them  have  yet  a  being. 

Gentlemen,  I  might  both  enlarge  and  lose  myself  in  such 
like  arguments ;  I  might  tell  you  that  Almighty  God  is  said  to 
have  spoken  to  a  Fish,  but  never  to  a  Beast ;  that  he  hath  made 
a  Whale  a  Ship  to  carry  and  set  his  Prophet  Jonah  safe  on  the 
appointed  shore.  Of  these  I  might  speak,  but  I  must  in  manners 
break  off,  for  I  see  Theobald's  house.  I  cry  you  mercy  for  being 
so  long,  and  thank  you  for  your  patience. 

Auc.  Sir,  my  pardon  is  easily  granted  you :  I  except  against 
nothing  that  you  have  said ;  nevertheless,  I  must  part  with  you 
at  this  park-wall,  for  which  I  am  very  sorry ;  but  I  assure  you 
Mr.  Piscator,  I  now  part  with  you  full  of  good  thoughts,  not 
only  of  yourself,  but  your  recreation.  And  so  Gentlemen,  God 
keep  you  both. 

13 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

Pisc.  Well,  now  Mr.  Venator  you  shall  neither  want  time 
nor  my  attention  to  hear  you  enlarge  your  discourse  concerning 
Hunting. 

Ven.  Not  I  Sir,  I  remember  you  said  that  Angling  itself 
was  of  great  antiquity,  and  a  perfect  art,  and  an  art  not  easily 
attained  to;  and  you  have  so  won  upon  me  in  your  former 
discourse,  that  I  am  very  desirous  to  hear  what  you  can  say 
further  concerning  those  particulars. 

Pisc.  Sir,  I  did  say  so,  and  I  doubt  not  but  if  you  and  I 
did  converse  together  but  a  few  hours,  to  leave  you  possessed 
with  the  same  high  and  happy  thoughts  that  now  possess  me 
of  it ;  not  only  of  the  antiquity  of  Angling,  but  that  it  deserves 
commendations,  and  that  it  is  an  art,  and  an  art  worthy  the 
knowledge  and  practice  of  a  wise  man. 

Ven.  Pray,  Sir,  speak  of  them  what  you  think  fit,  for  we 
have  yet  five  miles  to  the  Thatched-house,  during  which 
walk,  I  dare  promise  you  my  patience,  and  diligent  attention 
shall  not  be  wanting.  And  if  you  shall  make  that  to  appear 
which  you  have  undertaken;  first,  that  it  is  an  art,  and  an 
art  worth  the  learning,  I  shall  beg  that  I  may  attend  you  a 
day  or  two  a-fishing,  and  that  I  may  become  your  Scholar, 
and  be  instructed  in  the  art  itself  which  you  so  much 
magnify. 

Pisc.  O,  Sir,  doubt  not  but  that  Angling  is  an  art ;  is  it  not 
an  art  to  deceive  a  Trout  with  an  artificial  fly  ?  a  Trout !  that  is 
more  sharp  sighted  than  any  Hawk  you  have  named,  and  more 
watchful  and  timorous  than  your  high  mettled  Merlin  is  bold? 
and  yet,  I  doubt  not  to  catch  a  brace  or  two  to-morrow,  for  a 
friend's  breakfast:  doubt  not  therefore.  Sir,  but  that  Angling 
is  an  art,  and  an  art  worth  your  learning :  the  question  is  rather, 
whether  you  be  capable  of  learning  it  ?  for  Angling  is  somewhat 
like  poetry,  men  are  to  be  born  so :  I  mean  with  inclinations  to 
it,  though  both  may  be  heightened  by  discourse  and  practice; 
but  he  that  hopes  to  be  a  good  Angler,  must  not  only  bring  an 
inquiring,  searching,  observing  wit ;  but  he  must  bring  a  large 
measure  of  hope  and  patience,  and  a  love  and  propensity  to  the 
art  itself;  but  having  once  got  and  practised  it,  then  doubt  not 
but  Angling  will  prove  to  be  so  pleasant,  that  it  will  prove  to 
be  like  virtue,  a  reward  to  itself. 
14 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

Ven.  Sir,  I  am  now  become  so  full  of  expectation,  that  I 
long  much  to  have  you  proceed ;  and  in  the  order  that  you 
propose. 

Pisc.  Then  first,  for  the  antiquity  of  Angling,  of  which  I 
shall  not  say  much,  but  only  this ;  some  say  it  is  as  ancient  as 
Deucalion's  flood :  others,  that  Belus,  who  was  the  first  inventor 
of  godly  and  virtuous  recreations,  was  the  first  inventor  of 
Angling:  and  some  others  say,  for  former  times  have  had  their 
disquisitions  about  the  antiquity  of  it,  that  Seth,  one  of  the  sons 
of  Adam,  taught  it  to  his  sons,  and  that  by  them  it  was  derived 
to  posterity :  others  say,  that  he  left  it  engraven  on  those  pillars 
which  he  erected,  and  trusted  to  preserve  the  knowledge  of  the 
mathematics,  music,  and  the  rest  of  that  precious  knowledge, 
and  those  useful  arts  which  by  God's  appointment  or  allowance 
and  his  noble  industry,  were  thereby  preserved  from  perishing 
in  Noah's  flood. 

These,  Sir,  have  been  the  opinions  of  several  men,  that  have 
possibly  endeavoured  to  make  Angling  more  ancient  than  is 
needful,  or  may  well  be  warranted;  but  for  my  part,  I  shall 
content  myself  in  telling  you,  that  Angling  is  much  more 
ancient  than  the  Incarnation  of  our  Saviour :  for  in  the  Prophet 
Amos  mention  is  made  of  fish-hooks ;  and  in  the  Book  of  Job, 
which  was  long  before  the  days  of  Amos,  for  that  book  is  said 
to  be  writ  by  Moses,  mention  is  made  also  of  fish-hooks,  which 
must  imply  Anglers  in  those  times. 

But,  my  worthy  friend,  as  I  would  rather  prove  myself  a 
gentleman  by  being  learned  and  humble,  valiant  and  inoffensive, 
virtuous  and  communicable,  than  by  any  fond  ostentation  oif 
riches,  or  wanting  those  virtues  myself,  boast  that  these  were 
in  my  ancestors, — and  yet  I  grant  that  where  a  noble  and 
ancient  descent  and  such  merits  meet  in  any  man,  it  is  a  double 
dignification  of  that  person  : — so  if  this  antiquity  of  Angling, 
which  for  my  part  I  have  not  forced,  shall,  like  an  ancient 
family,  be  either  an  honour  or  an  ornament  to  this  virtuous  art 
which  I  profess  to  love  and  practise,  I  shall  be  the  gladder  that 
I  made  an  accidental  mention  of  the  antiquity  of  it ;  of  which  I 
shall  say  no  more,  but  proceed  to  that  just  commendation  which 
I  think  it  deserves. 

And  for  that  I  shall  tell  you,  that  in  ancient  times  a  debate 

c  15 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

hath  risen,  and  it  remains  yet  unresolved,  whether  the  happiness 
of  man  in  this  world,  doth  consist  more  in  contemplation  or 
action. 

Concerning  which  some  have  endeavoured  to  maintain  their 
opinion  of  the  first,  by  saying,  that  the  nearer  we  mortals  come 
to  God  by  way  of  imitation,  the  more  happy  we  are.  And  they 
say,  that  God  enjoys  himself  only  by  a  contemplation  of  his  own 
Infiniteness,  Eternity,  Power  and  Goodness,  and  the  like.  And 
upon  this  ground,  many  cloisteral  men  of  great  learning  and 
devotion,  prefer  contemplation  before  action.  And  many  of 
the  fathers  seem  to  approve  this  opinion,  as  may  appear  in 
their  commentaries  upon  the  words  of  our  Saviour  to  Martha, 
Luke  X.  41,  42. 

And  on  the  contrary  there  want  not  men  of  equal  authority 
and  credit,  that  prefer  action  to  be  the  more  excellent;  as 
namely  experiments  in  physic,  and  the  application  of  it,  both 
for  the  ease  and  prolongation  of  man's  life ;  by  which  each  man 
is  enabled  to  act  and  do  good  to  others;  either  to  serve  his 
country,  or  do  good  to  particular  persons;  and  they  say  also, 
that  action  is  doctrinal,  and  teaches  both  art  and  virtue,  and  is 
a  maintainer  of  humane  society ;  and  for  these,  and  other  like 
reasons  to  be  preferred  before  contemplation. 

Concerning  which  two  opinions  I  shall  forbear  to  add  a 
third  by  declaring  my  own,  and  rest  myself  contented  in  telling 
you,  my  very  worthy  friend,  that  both  these  meet  together,  and 
do  most  properly  belong  to  the  most  honest,  ingenuous,  quiet, 
and  harmless  art  of  Angling. 

And  first,  I  shall  tell  you  what  some  have  observed,  and  I 
have  found  it  to  be  a  real  truth,  that  the  very  sitting  by  the 
river's  side  is  not  only  the  quietest  and  fittest  place  for  con- 
templation, but  will  invite  an  Angler  to  it :  and  this  seems  to  be 
maintained  by  the  learned  Pet.  Du  Moulin,  who  in  his  discourse 
of  the  fulfilling  of  prophecies,  observes,  that  when  God  intended 
to  reveal  any  future  events  or  high  notions  to  his  prophets,  he 
then  carried  them  either  to  the  deserts  or  the  sea-shore,  that 
having  so  separated  them  from  amidst  the  press  of  people  and 
business,  and  the  cares  of  the  world,  he  might  settle  their  mind 
in  a  quiet  repose,  and  there  make  them  fit  for  revelation. 

And  this  seems  also  to  be  intimated  by  the  Children  of 
16 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

Israel,  Psal.  137,  who  having  in  a  sad  condition  banished  all 
mirth  and  music  from  their  pensive  hearts,  and  having  hung  up 
their  then  mute  harps  upon  the  willow-trees  growing  by  the 
rivers  of  Babylon,  sat  down  upon  those  banks  bemoaning  the 
ruins  of  Sion,  and  contemplating  their  own  sad  condition. 

And  an  ingenious  Spaniard  says,  that  *  rivers  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  watery  element  were  made  for  wise  men  to 
contemplate,  and  fools  to  pass  by  without  consideration.'  And 
though  I  will  not  rank  myself  in  the  number  of  the  first,  yet 
give  me  leave  to  free  myself  from  the  last,  by  offering  to  you  a 
short  contemplation,  first  of  rivers  and  then  of  fish  ;  concerning 
which  I  doubt  not  but  to  give  you  many  observations  that  will 
appear  very  considerable:  I  am  sure  they  have  appeared  so 
to  me,  and  made  many  an  hour  pass  away  more  pleasantly, 
as  I  have  sat  quietly  on  a  flowery  bank  by  a  calm  river,  and 
contemplated  what  I  shall  now  relate  to  you. 

And  first  concerning  Rivers ;  there  be  so  many  wonders 
reported  and  written  of  them,  and  of  the  several  creatures  that 
be  bred  and  live  in  them ;  and  those  by  authors  of  so  good 
credit,  that  we  need  not  to  deny  them  an  historical  faith. 

As  namely  of  a  river  in  Epirus,  that  puts  out  any  lighted 
torch,  and  kindles  any  torch  that  was  not  lighted.  Some  waters 
being  drank  cause  madness,  some  drunkenness,  and  some 
laughter  to  death.  The  river  Selarus  in  a  few  hours  turns  a 
rod  or  wand  to  stone :  and  our  Camden  mentions  the  like  in 
England,  and  the  like  in  Lochmere  in  Ireland.  There  is  also 
a  river  in  Arabia,  of  which  all  the  sheep  that  drink  thereof 
have  their  wool  turned  into  a  vermilion  colour.  And  one  of  no 
less  credit  than  Aristotle,  tells  us  of  a  merry  river,  the  river 
Elusina,  that  dances  at  the  noise  of  music,  for  with  music  it 
bubbles,  dances,  and  grows  sandy,  and  so  continues  till  the 
music  ceases,  but  then  it  presently  returns  to  it's  wonted  calm- 
ness and  clearness.  And  Camden  tells  us  of  a  well  near  to 
Kirby  in  Westmoreland,  that  ebbs  and  flows  several  times 
every  day :  and  he  tells  us  of  a  river  in  Surrey,  it  is  called 
Mole,  that  after  it  has  run  several  miles,  being  opposed  by 
hills,  finds  or  makes  itself  a  way  under  ground,  and  breaks  out 
again  so  far  off*,  that  the  inhabitants  thereabouts  boast,  as  the 
Spaniards  do  of  their  river  Anus,  that  they  feed  divers  flocks 

17 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

of  sheep  upon  a  bridge.  And  lastly,  for  I  would  not  tire  your 
patience,  one  of  no  less  authority  than  Josephus,  that  learned 
Jew,  tells  us  of  a  river  in  Judea,  that  runs  swiftly  all  the  six 
days  of  the  week,  and  stands  still  and  rests  all  their  Sabbath. 

But  I  will  lay  aside  my  discourse  of  rivers,  and  tell  you 
some  things  of  the  monsters,  or  fish,  call  them  what  you  will, 
that  they  breed  and  feed  in  them.  Pliny  the  Philosopher  says, 
in  the  Third  Chapter  of  his  Ninth  Book,  that  in  the  Indian  Sea, 
the  fish  called  the  Baloena  or  Whirlpool  is  so  long  and  broad, 
as  to  take  up  more  in  length  and  breadth  than  two  acres  of 
ground,  and  of  other  fish  of  two  hundred  cubits  long ;  and  that 
in  the  river  Ganges,  there  be  Eels  of  thirty  foot  long.  He  says 
there,  that  these  monsters  appear  in  that  sea  only,  when  the 
tempestuous  winds  oppose  the  torrents  of  waters  falling  from 
the  rocks  into  it,  and  so  turning  what  lay  at  the  bottom  to  be 
seen  on  the  water's  top.  And  he  says,  that  the  people  of  Cadara, 
an  island  near  this  place,  make  the  timber  for  their  houses  of 
those  fish-bones.  He  there  tells  us,  that  there  are  sometimes 
a  thousand  of  these  great  Eels  found  wrapped,  or  interwoven 
together.  He  tells  us  there,  that  it  appears  that  Dolphins  love 
music,  and  will  come,  when  called  for,  by  some  men  or  boys, 
that  know  and  used  to  feed  them,  and  that  they  can  swim  as 
swift  as  an  arrow  can  be  shot  out  of  a  bow,  and  much  of  this 
is  spoken  concerning  the  Dolphin,  and  other  fish,  as  may  be 
found  also  in  learned  Dr.  Casaubon's  *  Discourse  of  Credulity  and 
Incredulity,'  printed  by  him  about  the  year  1670. 

I  know,  we  islanders  are  averse  to  the  belief  of  these 
wonders ;  but,  there  be  so  many  strange  creatures  to  be  now 
seen,  many  collected  by  John  Tradescant,  and  others  added  by 
my  friend  Elias  Ashmole,  Esq. ;  who  now  keeps  them  carefully 
and  methodically  at  his  house  near  to  Lambeth  near  London, 
as  may  get  some  belief  of  some  of  the  other  wonders  I  men- 
tioned. I  will  tell  you  some  of  the  wonders  that  you  may  now 
see,  and  not  till  then  believe,  unless  you  think  fit. 

You  may  there  see  the  Hog-fish,  the  Dog-fish,  the  Dolphin, 
the  Coney-fish,  the  Parrot-fish,  the  Shark,  the  Poison-fish, 
Sword-fish,  and  not  only  other  incredible  fish ;  but  you  may 
there  see  the  Salamander,  several  sorts  of  Barnacles,  of  Solan 
Geese,  the  Bird  of  Paradise,  such  sorts  of  Snakes,  and  such 
18 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

Bird's-nests,  and  of  so  various  forms,  and  so  wonderfully  made, 
as  may  beget  wonder  and  amusement  in  any  beholder :  and  so 
many  hundred  of  other  rarities  in  that  collection,  as  will  make 
the  other  wonders  I  spake  of  the  less  incredible ;  for  you  may 
note,  that  the  waters  are  Nature's  store-house,  in  which  she 
locks  up  her  wonders. 

But,  Sir,  lest  this  discourse  may  seem  tedious,  I  shall  give 
it  a  sweet  conclusion  out  of  that  holy  poet  Mr.  George  Herbert 
his  divine  *  Contemplation  on  God's  Providence.' 

Lord,  who  hath  praise  enough?    Nay,  who  hath  any? 
None  can  express  thy  works,  but  he  that  knows  them ; 
And  none  can  know  thy  works,  they  are  so  many, 
And  so  complete,  but  only  he  that  owes  them! 

"We  all  acknowledge  both  thy  power  and  love 
To  be  exact,  transcendent,  and  divine; 
Who  dost  so  strangely  and  so  sweetly  move, 
Whilst  all  things  have  their  end,  yet  none  but  thine. 

Wherefore,  most  sacred  Spirit,  I  here  present 
For  me,  and  all  my  fellows,  praise  to  thee ; 
And  just  it  is  that  I  should  pay  the  rent. 
Because  the  benefit  accrues  to  me. 

And  as  concerning  fish  in  that  Psalm,  Psal.  104,  wherein 
for  height  of  poetry  and  wonders,  the  Prophet  David  seems 
even  to  exceed  himself,  how  doth  he  there  express  himself  in 
choice  metaphors,  even  to  the  amazement  of  a  contemplative 
reader,  concerning  the  sea,  the  rivers,  and  the  fish  therein  con- 
tained? And  the  great  Naturalist,  Pliny,  says,  *That  Nature's 
great  and  wonderful  power  is  more  demonstrated  in  the  sea 
than  on  the  land.'  And  this  may  appear  by  the  numerous  and 
various  creatures  inhabiting  both  in  and  about  that  element ;  as 
to  the  readers  of  Gesner,  Rondeletius,  Pliny,  Auso-  du  Bartas,  in  the 
nius,  Aristotle,  and  others,  may  be  demonstrated.  Fifth  Day. 
But  I  will  sweeten  this  discourse  also  out  of  a  contemplation 
in  divine  Du  Bartas,  who  says : 

God  quickened  in  the  sea  and  in  the  rivers, 

So  many  fishes  of  so  many  features. 

That  in  the  waters  we  may  see  all  creatures, 

Ev'n  all  that  on  the  earth  are  to  be  found, 

As  if  the  world  were  in  deep  waters  drown'd. 

For  Seas  as  well  as  Skies,  have  Sun,  Moon,  Stars; 

As  well  as  Air— Swallows,  Rooks,  and  Stares ; 

19 


A   CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

As  well  as  Earth — Vines,  Roses,  Nettles,  Melons, 
Mushrooms,  Pinks,  Gilliflowers,  and  many  millions 
Of  other  plants,  more  rare,  more  strange  than  these, 
As  very  fishes  living  in  the  seas : 
As  also  Rams,  Calves,  Horses,  Hares,  and  Hogs, 
Wolves,  Urchins,  Lions,  Elephants,  and  Dogs ; 
Yea  Men  and  Maids;  and  which  I  most  admire, 
The  mitred  Bishop,  and  the  cowled  Friar. 
Of  which,  examples  but  a  few  years  since. 
Were  shewn  the  Norway  and  Polonian  Prince. 

These  seem  to  be  wonders,  but  have  had  so  many  con- 
firmations from  men  of  learning  and  credit,  that  you  need  not 
doubt  them :  nor  are  the  number,  nor  the  various  shapes  of 
fishes,  more  strange  or  more  fit  for  contemplation,  than  their 
different  natures,  inclinations  and  actions ;  concerning  which  I 
shall  beg  your  patient  ear  a  little  longer. 

The  Cuttle-fish  will  cast  a  long  gut  out  of  her  throat,  which, 
like  as  an  Angler  doth  his  line,  she  sendeth  forth  and  pulleth 
Mont. '  Essays,'  ^^  again  at  her  pleasure,  according  as  she  sees  some 
and  other  affirri  little  fish  come  near  to  her ;  and  the  Cuttle-fish, 
^'®'  being  then  hid  in  the  gravel,  lets  the  smaller  fish 

nibble  and  bite  the  end  of  it,  at  which  time,  she  by  little  and 
little  draws  the  smaller  fish  so  near  to  her,  that  she  may  leap 
upon  her,  and  then  catches  and  devours  her :  and  for  this  reason 
some  have  called  this  fish  the  Sea-Angler. 

And  there  is  a  fish  called  a  Hermit,  that  at  a  certain  age 
gets  into  a  dead  fish's  shell,  and  like  a  hermit  dwells  there 
alone,  studying  the  wind  and  weather,  and  so  turns  her  shell, 
that  she  makes  it  defend  her  from  the  injuries  that  they  would 
bring  upon  her. 

There  is  also  a  fish  called,  by  .^lian,  in  his  9th  Book  of 
Living  Creatures,  Ch.  16,  the  Adonis  or  Darling  of  the  Sea ; 
so  called,  because  it  is  a  loving  and  innocent  fish,  a  fish  that 
hurts  nothing  that  hath  life,  and  is  at  peace  with  all  the 
numerous  inhabitants  of  that  vast  watery  element ;  and  trul;/ 
I  think  most  Anglers  are  so  disposed  to  most  of  mankind. 

And  there  are  also  lustful  and  chaste  fishes,  of  which  I  shall 
give  you  examples. 

And  first,  what  Du  Bartas  says  of  a  fish  called  the  Sargus : 
which  because  none  can  express  it  better  than  he  does,  I  shall 
20 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

give  you  in  his  own  words;  supposing  it  shall  not  have  the 
less  credit  for  being  verse,  for  he  hath  gathered  this,  and  other 
observations  out  of  authors  that  have  been  great  and  industrious 
searchers  into  the  secrets  of  Nature. 

The  adult'rous  Sargus  doth  not  only  change 
Wives  every  day  in  the  deep  streams,  but— strange ! 
As  if  the  honey  of  sea-love  delight 
Could  hot  suffice  his  ranging  appetite, 
Goes  courting  she-goats  on  the  grassy  shore, 
Horning  their  husbands  that  had  horns  before. 

And  the  same  author  writes  concerning  the  Cantharus,  that 
which  you  shall  also  hear  in  his  own  words. 

But  contrary,  the  constant  Cantharus 

Is  ever  constant  to  his  faithful  spouse, 

In  nuptial  duties  spending  his  chaste  life. 

Never  loves  any  but  his  own  dear  wife.  , 

Sir,  but  a  little  longer,  and  I  have  done. 

Ven.  Sir,  take  what  liberty  you  think  fit,  for  your  discourse 
seems  to  be  music,  and  charms  me  to  an  attention. 

Pisc.  Why  then,  Sir,  I  will  take  a  little  liberty  to  tell,  or 
rather  to  remember  you  what  is  said  of  Turtle-Doves ;  first, 
that  they  silently  plight  their  troth  and  marry;  and  that  then, 
the  survivor  scorns,  as  the  Thracian  women  are  said  to  do,  to 
out-live  his  or  her  mate,  and  this  is  taken  for  a  truth,  and  if 
the  survivor  shall  ever  couple  with  another,  then  not  only  the 
living  but  the  dead,  be  it  either  the  he  or  the  she,  is  denied 
the  name  and  honour  of  a  true  Turtle-Dove. 

And  to  parallel  this  land-rarity,  and  teach  mankind  moral 
faithfulness,  and  to  condemn  those  that  talk  of  religion,  and  yet 
come  short  of  the  moral  faith  of  fish  and  fowl ;  men  that  violate 
the  law  affirmed  by  St.  Paul,  Rom.  ii.  14,  15,  16,  to  be  writ  in 
their  hearts,  and  which  he  says,  shall  at  the  last  d^y  condemn 
and  leave  them  without  excuse  ; — I  pray  hearken  du  Bartas,  Fifth 
to  what  Du  Bartas  sings,  for  the  hearing  of  such  °*y- 
conjugal  faithfulness,  will  be  music  to  all  chaste  ears,  and  there- 
fore I  pray  hearken  to  what  Du  Bartas  sings  of  the  Mullet 

But  for  chaste  love  the  Mullet  hath  no  peer; 
For,  if  the  fisher  hath  surpris'd  her  pheer. 
As  mad  with  woe,  to  shore  she  followeth, 
Prest  to  consort  him  both  in  life  and  death. 
T.  21 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

On  the  contrary,  what  shall  I  say  of  the  House-Cock,  which 
treads  any  hen,  and  then,  contrary  to  the  Swan,  the  Partridge, 
and  Pigeon,  takes  no  care  to  hatch,  to  feed,  or  to  cherish  his 
own  brood,  but  is  senseless,  though  they  perish. 

And  'tis  considerable,  that  the  Hen,  which  because  she  also 
takes  any  cock,  expects  it  not,  who  is  sure  the  chickens  be 
her  own,  hath  by  a  moral  impression  her  care  and  affection  to 
her  own  brood  more  than  doubled,  even  to  such  a  height,  that 
our  Saviour,  in  expressing  his  love  to  Jerusalem,  Mat.  xxiii.  37, 
quotes  her  for  an  example  of  tender  affection;  as  his  Father 
had  done  Job  for  a  pattern  of  patience. 

And  to  parallel  this  cock,  there  be  divers  fishes  that  cast 
their  spawn  on  flags  or  stones,  and  then  leave  it  uncovered, 
and  exposed  to  become  a  prey,  and  be  devoured  by  vermin,  or 
other  fishes ;  but  other  fishes,  as  namely,  the  Barbel,  take  such 
care  for  the  preservation  of  their  seed,  that  unlike  to  the  Cock 
or  the  Cuckoo,  they  mutually  labour,  both  the  spawner  and  the 
melter,  to  cover  their  spawn  with  sand,  or  watch  it,  or  hide  it 
in  some  secret  place,  unfrequented  by  vermin,  or  by  any  fish 
but  themselves. 

Sir,  these  examples  may,  to  you  and  others,  seem  strange ; 
but  they  are  testified  some  by  Aristotle,  some  by  Pliny,  some 
by  Gesner,  and  by  many  others  of  credit,  and  are  believed  and 
known  by  divers,  both  of  wisdom  and  experience,  to  be  a  truth ; 
and  indeed  are,  as  I  said  at  the  beginning,  fit  for  the  con- 
templation of  a  most  serious  and  a  most  pious  man.  And 
doubtless  this  made  the  Prophet  David  say,  Psal.  cvii.  23,  24., 
*  They  that  occupy  themselves  in  deep  waters  see  the  wonderful 
works  of  God ' :  indeed  such  wonders  and  pleasures  too  as  the 
land  affords  not. 

And  that  they  be  fit  for  the  contemplation  of  the  most 
prudent,  and  pious,  and  peaceable  men,  seems  to  be  testified 
by  the  practice  of  so  many  devout  and  contemplative  men,  as 
the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets  of  old,  and  of  the  Apostles  of  our 
Saviour  in  our  latter  times ;  of  which  twelve,  we  are  sure  he 
chose  four  that  were  simple  Fishermen,  whom  he  inspired  and 
sent  to  publish  his  blessed  will  to  the  Gentiles,  and  inspired 
them  also  with  a  power  to  speak  all  languages,  and  by  their 
powerful  eloquence  to  beget  faith  in  the  unbelieving  Jews,  and 
22 


AN   ANGLER,    A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

themselves  to  suffer  for  that  Saviour  whom  their  fore-fathers 
and  they  had  crucified ;  and,  in  their  sufferings,  to  preach  free- 
dom from  the  incumbrances  of  the  law,  and  a  new  way  to 
everlasting  life.  This  was  the  employment  of  these  happy 
fishermen,  concerning  which  choice,  some  have  made  these 
observations. 

First,  That  he  never  reproved  these  for  their  employment 
or  calling,  as  he  did  Scribes  and  the  Money-changers.  And 
secondly,  he  found  that  the  hearts  of  such  men  by  nature  were 
fitted  for  contemplation  and  quietness ;  men  of  mild,  and  sweet, 
and  peaceable  spirits,  as  indeed  most  Anglers  are :  these  men, 
our  blessed  Saviour,  who  is  observed  to  love  to  plant  grace  in 
good  natures,  though  indeed  nothing  be  too  hard  for  him,  yet 
these  men  he  chose  to  call  from  their  irreprovable  employment 
of  fishing,  and  gave  them  grace  to  be  his  disciples,  and  to 
follow  him  and  do  wonders ;  I  say  four  of  twelve. 

And  it  is  observable,  that  it  was  our  Saviour's  will,  that 
these  our  four  Fishermen  should  have  a  priority  of  nomination 
in  the  catalogue  of  his  Twelve  Apostles,  Mat.  x.  2-4.  Acts  i.  i,  3., 
as  namely,  first,  St.  Peter,  St.  Andrew,  St.  James,  and  St.  John, 
and  then  the  rest  in  their  order. 

And  it  is  yet  more  observable,  that  when  our  blessed 
Saviour  went  up  into  the  mount,  when  he  left  the  rest  of  his 
disciples  and  chose  only  three  to  bear  him  company  at  his 
Transfiguration,  that  those  three  were  all  Fishermen.  And 
it  is  to  be  believed,  that  all  the  other  Apostles,  after  they 
betook  themselves  to  follow  Christ,  betook  themselves  to  be 
Fishermen  too ;  for  it  is  certain,  that  the  greater  number  of 
them  were  found  together  fishing  by  Jesus  after  his  Resur- 
rection, as  it  is  recorded  in  the  21st  chapter  of  St.  John's 
Gospel,  V.  3,  4. 

And  since  I  have  your  promise  to  hear  me  with  patience, 
I  will  take  a  liberty  to  look  back  upon  an  observation  that 
hath  been  made  by  an  ingenuous  and  learned  man,  who  observes, 
that  God  hath  been  pleased  to  allow  those,  whom  he  himself 
hath  appointed  to  write  his  holy  will  in  Holy  Writ,  yet,  to 
express  his  will  in  such  metaphors  as  their  former  affections  or 
practice  had  inclined  them  to ;  and  he  brings  Solomon  for  an 
example,  who  before  his  conversion  was  remarkably  carnally- 

23 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

amorous ;  and  after,  by  God's  appointment,  wrote  that  spiritual 
dialogue  or  holy  amorous  love-song,  the  Canticles,  betwixt  God 
and  his  Church ;  in  which  he  says  his  beloved  had  Eyes  like 
the  Fish-pools  of  Heshbon. 

And  if  this  hold  in  reason,  as  I  see  none  to  the  contrary, 
then  it  may  be  probably  concluded,  that  Moses,  who,  I  told 
you  before,  writ  the  book  of  Job,  and  the  Prophet  Amos,  who 
was  a  Shepherd,  were  both  Anglers;  for  you  shall  in  all  the 
Old  Testament  find  fish-hooks,  I  think  but  twice  mentioned, 
namely,  by  meek  Moses  the  friend  of  God,  and  by  the  humble 
Prophet  Amos. 

Concerning  which  last,  namely,  the  Prophet  Amos,  I  shall 
make  but  this  observation,  that  he  that  shall  read  the  humble, 
lowly,  plain  style  of  that  prophet,  and  compare  it  with  the  high, 
glorious,  eloquent  style  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  though  they  be 
both  equally  true,  may  easily  believe  Amos  to  be,  not  only  a 
Shepherd,  but  a  good-natured,  plain  Fisherman. 

Which  I  do  the  rather  believe  by  comparing  the  affectionate, 
loving,  lowly,  humble  Epistles  of  St.  Peter,  St.  James,  and 
St.  John,  whom  we  know  were  all  Fishers,  with  the  glorious 
language  and  high  metaphors  of  St.  Paul,  who  we  may  believe 
was  not. 

And  for  the  lawfulness  of  fishing  it  may  very  well  be  main- 
tained by  our  Saviour's  bidding  St.  Peter  cast  his  hook  into 
the  water  and  catch  a  fish,  for  money  to  pay  tribute  to  Caesar. 
And  let  me  tell  you,  that  Angling  is  of  high  esteem,  and  of 
much  use  in  other  nations.  He  that  reads  the  Voyages  of 
Ferdinand  Mendez  Pinto,  shall  find,  that  there  he  declares  to 
have  found  a  King  and  several  Priests  a-fishing. 

And  he  that  reads  Plutarch,  shall  find  that  Angling  was 
not  contemptible  in  the  days  of  Mark  Antony  and  Cleopatra, 
and  that  they  in  the  midst  of  their  wonderful  glory  used  Angling 
as  a  principal  recreation.  And  let  me  tell  you,  that  in  the 
Scripture,  Angling  is  always  taken  in  the  best  sense,  and  that 
though  Hunting  may  be  sometimes  so  taken,  yet  it  is  but 
seldom  to  be  so  understood.  And  let  me  add  this  more,  he 
that  views  the  ancient  Ecclesiastical  Canons,  shall  find  hunting 
to  be  forbidden  to  Churchmen,  as  being  a  turbulent,  toilsome, 
perplexing  recreation ;  and  shall  find  Angling  allowed  to  Clergy- 
24 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND  A   FALCONER 

men,  as  being  a  harmless  recreation,  a  recreation,  that  invites 
them  to  contemplation  and  quietness. 

I  might  here  enlarge  myself  by  telling  you,  what  com- 
mendations our  learned  Perkins  bestows  on  Angling :  and  how 
dear  a  lover,  and  great  a  practiser  of  it  our  learned  Doctor 
Whitaker  was,  as  indeed  many  others  of  great  learning  have 
been.  But  I  will  content  myself  with  two  memorable  men, 
that  lived  near  to  our  own  time,  whom  I  also  take  to  have 
been  ornaments  to  the  Art  of  Angling. 

The  first  is  Doctor  Nowel,  sometimes  Dean  of  the  Cathedral 
Church  of  St.  Paul's  in  London,  where  his  monument  stands  yet 
undefaced :  a  man  that  in  the  Reformation  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  not  that  of  Henry  viii.,  was  so  noted 
for  his  meek  spirit,  deep  learning,  prudence  and  piety,  that 
the  then  Parliament  and  Convocation  both,  chose,  enjoined, 
and  trusted  him  to  be  the  man  to  make  a  Catechism  for  public 
use,  such  a  one  as  should  stand  as  a  rule  for  faith  and  manners 
to  their  posterity.  And  the  good  old  man,  though  he  was  very 
learned,  yet  knowing  that  God  leads  us  not  to  heaven  by  many 
nor  by  hard  questions,  like  an  honest  Angler,  made  that  good, 
plain,  unperplexed  Catechism  which  is  printed  with  our  good 
old  Service-Book.  I  say,  this  good  man  was  a  dear  lover,  and 
constant  practiser  of  Angling,  as  any  age  can  produce ;  and 
his  custom  was  to  spend  besides  his  fixed  hours  of  prayer, 
those  hours  which  by  command  of  the  Church  were  enjoined 
the  Clergy,  and  voluntarily  dedicated  to  devotion  by  many 
primitive  Christians :  I  say,  besides  those  hours,  this  good  man 
was  observed  to  spend  a  tenth  part  of  his  time  in  Angling; 
and  also,  for  I  have  conversed  with  those  which  have  conversed 
with  him,  to  bestow  a  tenth  part  of  his  revenue,  and  usually 
all  his  fish,  amongst  the  poor  that  inhabited  near  to  those 
rivers  in  which  it  was  caught :  saying  often,  *  That  Charity 
gave  life  to  Religion ' :  and  at  his  return  to  his  house,  would 
praise  God  he  had  spent  that  day  free  from  worldly  trouble ; 
both  harmlessly,  and  in  a  recreation  that  became  a  Church- 
man. And  this  good  man  was  well  content,  if  not  desirous, 
that  posterity  should  know  he  was  an  Angler,  as  may  appear 
by  his  picture,  now  to  be  seen,  and  carefully  kept  in  Brazen- 
nose  College,  to  which  he  was  a  liberal  benefactor,  in  which 

25 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

picture  he  is  drawn  leaning  on  a  desk  with  his  Bible  before 
him,  and  on  one  hand  of  him  his  lines,  hooks,  and  other  tack- 
ling lying  in  a  round ;  and  on  his  other  hand  are  his  Angle- 
rods  of  several  sorts :  and  by  them  this  is  written,  *  That  he 
died  13  Feb.  1601,  being  aged  95  years,  44  of  which  he  had 
been  Dean  of  St.  Paul's  Church ;  and  that  his  age  had  neither 
impaired  his  hearing,  nor  dimmed  his  eyes,  nor  weakened  his 
memory,  nor  made  any  of  the  faculties  of  his  mind  weak  or 
useless.'  'Tis  said  that  Angling  and  Temperance  were  great 
causes  of  these  blessings,  and  I  wish  the  like  to  all  that  imitate 
him,  and  love  the  memory  of  so  good  a  man. 

My  next  and  last  example  shall  be  that  under-valuer  of 
money,  the  late  Provost  of  Eton  College,  Sir  Henry  Wotton, 
a  man  with  whom  I  have  often  fished  and  conversed,  a  man 
whose  foreign  employments  in  the  service  of  this  nation,  and 
whose  experience,  learning,  wit,  and  cheerfulness,  made  his 
company  to  be  esteemed  one  of  the  delights  of  mankind :  this 
man,  whose  very  approbation  of  Angling  were  sufficient  to  con- 
vince any  modest  censurer  of  it,  this  man  was  also  a  most  dear 
lover,  and  a  frequent  practiser  of  the  Art  of  Angling ;  of  which 
he  would  say,  *'Twas  an  employment  for  his  idle  time,  which 
was  then  not  idly  spent ' :  for  Angling  was,  after  tedious  study, 
*  a  rest  to  his  mind,  a  cheerer  of  his  spirits,  a  diverter  of  sad- 
ness, a  calmer  of  unquiet  thoughts,  a  moderator  of  passions,  a 
procurer  of  contentedness ' :  and  *  that  it  begat  habits  of  peace 
and  patience  in  those  that  professed  and  practised  it.'  Indeed, 
my  friend,  you  will  find  Angling  to  be  like  the  virtue  of 
Humility,  which  has  a  calmness  of  spirit,  and  a  world  of  other 
blessings  attending  upon  it. 

Sir,  this  was  the  saying  of  that  learned  man,  and  I  do 
easily  believe  that  peace,  and  patience,  and  a  calm  content, 
did  cohabit  in  the  cheerful  heart  of  Sir  Henry  Wotton,  because 
I  know  that  when  he  was  beyond  seventy  years  of  age,  he 
made  this  description  of  a  part  of  the  present  pleasure  that 
possessed  him,  as  he  sat  quietly  in  a  Summer's  evening  on  a 
bank  a-fishing ;  it  is  a  description  of  the  Spring,  which,  because 
it  glided  as  soft  and  sweetly  from  his  pen,  as  that  river  does 
at  this  time,  by  which  it  was  then  made,  I  shall  repeat  it 
unto  you. 
26 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND   A   FALCONER 

This  day  dame  Nature  seem'd  in  love : 

The  lusty  sap  began  to  move ; 

Fresh  juice  did  stir  th'  embracing  vines, 

And  birds  had  drawn  their  valentines, 

The  jealous  Trout,  that  low  did  lie. 

Rose  at  a  well  dissembled  fly ; 

There  stood  my  friend  with  patient  skill, 

Attending  of  his  trembling  quill. 

Already  were  the  eaves  possest 

With  the  swift  Pilgrim's  daubed  nest: 

The  groves  already  did  rejoice, 

In  Philomel's  triumphing  voice : 

The  showers  were  short,  the  weather  mild, 

The  morning  fresh,  the  evening  smil'd. 

Joan  takes  her  neat  rub'd  pail,  and  now 

She  trips  to  milk  the  sand-red  cow; 

Where,  for  some  sturdy  foot-ball  swain, 

Joan  strokes  a  syllabub  or  twain. 

The  fields  and  gardens  were  beset 

With  Tulips,  Crocus,  Violet ; 

And  now,  though  late,  the  modest  rose 

Did  more  than  half  a  blush  disclose. 

Thus  all  looks  gay,  and  full  of  cheer, 

To  welcome  the  new-livery'd  year. 

These  were  the  thoughts  that  then  possessed  the  undis- 
turbed mind  of  Sir  Henry  Wotton.  Will  you  hear  the  wish  of 
another  Angler,  and  the  commendation  of  his  happy  life,  which 
he  also  sings  in  verse  ?  viz.  Jo.  Davors,  Esq. ; 

Let  me  live  harmlessly,  and  near  the  brink 

Of  Trent  or  Avon,  have  a  dwelling  place ; 

Where  I  may  see  my  quill  or  cork  down  sink 

With  eager  bite  of  Perch,  or  Bleak,  or  Dace, 

And  on  the  World  and  my  Creator  think ; 

Whilst  some  men  strive  ill-gotten  goods  t*  embrace 
And  others  spend  their  time  in  base  excess 
Of  wine,  or  worse,  in  war  and  wantonness. 

Let  them  that  list,  these  pastimes  still  pursue. 

And  on  such  pleasing  fancies  feed  their  fill, 

So  I  the  Fields  and  Meadows  green  may  view, 

And  daily  by  fresh  Rivers  walk  at  will. 

Among  the  Daisies  and  the  Violets  blue, 

Red  Hyacinth,  and  yellow  Daffodil, 
Purple  Narcissus  like  the  morning  rays 
Pale  Gander-grass,  and  azure  Culverkeys. 

27 


A  CONFERENCE   BETWIXT 

I  count  it  higher  pleasure  to  behold 
The  stately  compass  of  the  lofty  sky, 
And  in  the  midst  thereof,  like  burning  gold, 
The  flaming  Chariot  of  the  World's  great  eye ; 
The  watery  clouds  that  in  the  air  up  roU'd, 
With  sundry  kinds  of  painted  colours  fly, 
And  fair  Aurora  lifting  up  her  head, 
Still  blushing,  rise  from  old  Tithonus'  bed. 

The  hills  and  mountains  raised  from  the  plains, 
The  plains  extended  level  with  the  ground, 
The  grounds  divided  into  sundry  veins, 
The  veins  enclos'd  with  rivers  running  round ; 
These  rivers  making  way  through  Nature's  chains 
With  headlong  course  into  the  sea  profound; 
The  raging  sea,  beneath  the  vallies  low. 
Where  lakes,  and  rills,  and  rivulets  do  flow. 

The  lofty  woods,  the  forests  wide  and  long, 
Adorn'd  with  leaves  and  branches  fresh  and  green, 
In  whose  cool  bowers  the  birds  with  many  a  song 
Do  welcome  with  their  quire  the  Summer's  Queen : 
The  meadows  fair  where  Flora's  gifts  among 
Are  intermix'd,  with  verdant  grass  between. 
The  silver-scaled  fish  that  softly  swim 
Within  the  sweet  brook's  chrystal  watery  stream. 

All  these,  and  many  more  of  his  creation 

That  made  the  heavens,  the  Angler  oft  doth  see; 

Taking  therein  no  little  delectation. 

To  think  how  strange,  how  wonderful  they  be: 

Framing  thereof  an  inward  contemplation. 

To  set  his  heart  from  other  fancies  free; 

And  whilst  he  looks  on  these  with  joyful  eye. 

His  mind  is  rapt  above  the  starry  sky. 

Sir,  I  am  glad  my  memory  has  not  lost  these  last  verses, 
because  they  are  somewhat  more  pleasant  and  more  suitable 
to  May-day,  than  my  harsh  discourse,  and  I  am  glad  your 
patience  hath  held  out  so  long,  as  to  hear  them  and  me :  for 
both  together  have  brought  us  within  the  sight  of  the  Thatched- 
house :  and  I  must  be  your  debtor,  if  you  think  it  worth  your 
attention,  for  the  rest  of  my  promised  discourse,  till  some  other 
opportunity,  and  a  like  time  of  leisure. 

Ven.  Sir,  you  have  Angled  me  on  with  much  pleasure  to 
the  Thatched-house :  and  I  now  find  your  words  true,  *  That 
28 


AN   ANGLER,   A   HUNTER,   AND  A   FALCONER 

good  company  makes  the  way  seem  short*;  for  trust  me,  Sir, 
I  thought  we  had  wanted  three  miles  of  this  house  till  you 
shewed  it  to  me :  but  now  we  are  at  it,  we  '11  turn  into  it,  and 
refresh  ourselves  with  a  cup  of  drink  and  a  little  rest. 

Pisc.  Most  gladly.  Sir,  and  we'll  drink  a  civil  cup  to  all 
the  Otter-hunters  that  are  to  meet  you  to-morrow. 

Ven.  That  we  will.  Sir,  and  to  all  the  lovers  of  Angling 
too,  of  which  number  I  am  now  willing  to  be  one  myself;  for 
by  the  help  of  your  good  discourse  and  company,  I  have  put 
on  new  thoughts  both  of  the  Art  of  Angling,  and  of  all  that 
profess  it :  and  if  you  will  but  meet  me  to-morrow,  at  the  time 
and  place  appointed,  and  bestow  one  day  with  me  and  my 
friends  in  hunting  the  Otter,  I  will  dedicate  the  next  two  days 
to  wait  upon  you,  and  we  two  will  for  that  time  do  nothing  but 
Angle,  and  talk  of  fish  and  fishing. 

Pisc.  'Tis  a  match,  Sir,  I  '11  not  fail  you,  God  willing,  to 
be  at  Amwell-hill  to-morrow  morning  before  Sun-rising. 


»9 


CHAPTER  II.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER 

AND  CHUB 

PISCATOR,  VENATOR,   HUNTSMAN,   HOSTESS 

VENATOR.  My  friend  Piscator,  you  have  kept  time  with 
my  thoughts,  for  the  Sun  is  just  rising,  and  I  myself  just 
now  come  to  this  place,  and  the  dogs  have  just  now  put 
down  an  Otter.  Look  down  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  there  in 
that  meadow,  chequered  with  Water-lilies  and  Lady-smocks ; 
there  you  may  see  what  work  they  make :  look,  look,  you  may 
see  all  busy,  men  and  dogs,  dogs  and  men  all  busy. 

Pisc.  Sir,  I  am  right  glad  to  meet  you,  and  glad  to  have 
so  fair  an  entrance  into  this  day's  sport,  and  glad  to  see  so 
many  dogs,  and  more  men  all  in  pursuit  of  the  Otter ;  let 's 
compliment  no  longer,  but  join  unto  them ;  come  honest  Venator, 
let 's  be  gone,  let  us  make  haste ;  I  long  to  be  doing :  no 
reasonable  hedge  or  ditch  shall  hold  me. 

Ven.   Gentleman  Huntsman,  where  found  you  this  Otter  ? 

Hunt.  Marry,  Sir,  we  found  her  a  mile  from  this  place, 
a  fishing :  she  has  this  morning  eaten  the  greatest  part  of  this 
Trout ;  she  has  only  left  thus  much  of  it  as  you  see,  and  was 
fishing  for  more ;  when  we  came  we  found  her  just  at  it :  but 
we  were  here  very  early,  we  were  here  an  hour  before  Sun- 
rise, and  have  given  her  no  rest  since  we  came;  sure  she  will 
hardly  escape  all  these  dogs  and  men.  I  am  to  have  the  skin 
if  we  kill  her. 

Ven.    Why,  Sir,  what's  the  skin  worth? 

Hunt.  'Tis  worth  ten  shillings  to  make  gloves ;  the  gloves 
of  an  Otter  are  the  best  fortification  for  your  hands  that  can 
be  thought  on  against  wet  weather. 

Pisc.    I  pray,  honest  Huntsman,  let  me  ask  you  a  pleasant 
question;  do  you  hunt  a  beast  or  a  fish? 
30 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

Hunt.  Sir,  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  resolve  you,  I  leave 
it  to  be  resolved  by  the  College  of  Carthusians,  who  have  made 
vows  never  to  eat  flesh.  But  I  have  heard,  the  question  hath 
been  debated  among  many  great  clerks,  and  they  seem  to 
dififer  about  it ;  yet  most  agree  that  her  tail  is  fish :  and  if  her 
body  be  fish  too,  then  I  may  say,  that  a  fish  will  walk  upon 
land,  for  an  Otter  does  so  sometimes  five,  or  six,  or  ten  miles 
in  a  night  to  catch  for  her  young  ones,  or  to  glut  herself  with 
fish,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  Pigeons  will  fly  forty  miles  for  a 
breakfast ;  but  Sir,  I  am  sure  the  Otter  devours  much  fish,  and 
kills  and  spoils  much  more  than  he  eats:  and  I  can  tell  you, 
that  this  Dog-fisher,  for  so  the  Latins  call  him,  can  smell  a 
fish  in  the  water  an  hundred  yards  from  him  :  Gesner  says  much 
farther,  and  that  his  stones  are  good  against  the  Falling- 
sickness  :  and  that  there  is  an  herb,  Benione,  which  being  hung 
in  a  linen  cloth  near  a  fish-pond,  or  any  haunt  that  he  uses, 
makes  him  to  avoid  the  place ;  which  proves  he  smells  both 
by  water  and  land;  and  I  can  tell  you  there  is  brave  hunting 
this  Water-dog  in  Cornwall,  where  there  have  been  so  many, 
that  our  learned  Camden  says,  there  is  a  river  called  Ottersey, 
which  was  so  named,  by  reason  of  the  abundance  of  Otters 
that  bred  and  fed  in  it. 

And  thus  much  for  my  knowledge  of  the  Otter,  which  you 
may  now  see  above  water  at  vent,  and  the  dogs  close  with 
him ;  I  now  see  he  will  not  last  long,  follow  therefore  my 
masters,  follow,  for  Sweetlips  was  like  to  have  him  at  this 
last  vent. 

Ven.  Oh  me,  all  the  horse  are  got  over  the  river,  what 
shall  we  do  now?  shall  we  follow  them  over  the  water? 

Hunt.  No,  Sir,  no,  be  not  so  eager,  stay  a  little  and  follow 
me,  for  both  they,  and  the  dogs  will  be  suddenly  on  this  side 
again,  I  warrant  you ;  and  the  Otter  too,  it  may  be :  now  have 
at  him  with  Kilbuck,  for  he  vents  again. 

Ven.  Marry  so  he  does,  for  look  he  vents  in  that  corner. 
Now,  now  Ringwood  has  him:  now  he's  gone  again,  and  has 
bit  the  poor  dog.  Now  Sweetlips  has  her;  hold  her.  Sweet- 
lips!  now  all  the  dogs  have  her,  some  above  and  some  under 
water ;  but  now,  now  she 's  tired,  and  past  losing :  come  bring 
her  to  me,  Sweetlips.     Look,  'tis  a  Bitch-Otter,  and  she  has 

31 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

lately  whelped,  let 's  go  to  the  place  where  she  was  put  down, 
and  not  far  from  it  you  will  find  all  her  young  ones,  I  dare 
warrant  you,  and  kill  them  all  too. 

Hunt.  Come,  gentlemen,  come  all,  let's  go  to  the  place 
where  we  put  down  the  Otter.  Look  you,  hereabout  it  was 
that  she  kennelled ;  look  you,  here  it  was  indeed,  for  here  's 
her  young  ones,  no  less  than  five ;  come  let 's  kill  them  all. 

Pisc.  No,  I  pray  Sir,  save  me  one,  and  I'll  try  if  I  can 
make  her  tame,  as  I  know  an  ingenious  gentleman  in  Leicester- 
shire, Mr.  Nich.  Seagrave,  has  done ;  who  hath  not  only  made 
her  tame,  but  to  catch  fish,  and  do  many  other  things  of  much 
pleasure. 

Hunt.  Take  one  with  all  my  heart,  but  let  us  kill  the 
rest.  And  now  let 's  go  to  an  honest  Ale-house,  where  we  may 
have  a  cup  of  good  Barley-wine,  and  sing  Old  Rose,  and  all 
of  us  rejoice  together. 

Ven.  Come  my  friend  Piscator,  let  me  invite  you  along 
with  us ;  I  '11  bear  your  charges  this  night,  and  you  shall  bear 
mine  to-morrow ;  for  my  intention  is  to  accompany  you  a  day 
or  two  in  fishing. 

Pisc.  Sir,  your  request  is  granted,  and  I  shall  be  right 
glad,  both  to  exchange  such  a  courtesy,  and  also  to  enjoy 
your  company. 


Ven.    Well,  now  let 's  go  to  your  sport  of  Angling. 

Pisc.  Let's  be  going  with  all  my  heart.  God  keep  you 
all.  Gentlemen,  and  send  you  meet  this  day  with  another  Bitch- 
Otter,  and  kill  her  merrily,  and  all  her  young  ones  too. 

Ven.     Now,  Piscator,  where  will  you  begin  to  fish  ? 

Pisc.  We  are  not  yet  come  to  a  likely  place,  I  must  walk 
a  mile  further  yet,  before  I  begin. 

Ven.  Well  then,  I  pray,  as  we  walk  tell  me  freely,  how 
do  you  like  your  lodging  and  mine  Host  and  the  company? 
Is  not  mine  Host  a  witty  man? 

Pisc.     Sir,  I  will  tell  you  presently  what  I  think  of  your 

Host ;  but  first  I  will  tell  you,  I  am  glad  these  Otters  were 

killed,  and   I   am  sorry  that  there  are  no  more  Otter-killers : 

for  I  know  that  the  want  of  Otter-killers,  and  the  not  keeping 

32 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

the  Fence-months  for  the  preservation  of  fish,  will  in  time 
prove  the  destruction  of  all  rivers ;  and  those  very  few  that 
are  left,  that  make  conscience  of  the  laws  of  the  nation,  and 
of  keeping  days  of  abstinence,  will  be  forced  to  eat  flesh,  or 
suffer  more  inconveniences  than  are  yet  foreseen. 

Ven.  Why  Sir,  what  be  those  that  you  call  the  Fence- 
months  ? 

Pisc.  Sir,  they  be  principally  three,  namely,  March,  April, 
and  May,  for  these  be  the  usual  months  that  Salmon  come 
out  of  the  Sea  to  spawn  in  most  fresh  rivers,  and  their  fry 
would  about  a  certain  time  return  back  to  the  salt  water,  if 
they  were  not  hindered  by  wears  and  unlawful  gins,  which  the 
greedy  fishermen  set,  and  so  destroy  them  by  thousands,  as 
they  would,  being  so  taught  by  nature,  change  the  fresh  for 
salt  water.  He  that  shall  view  the  wise  Statutes  made  in  the 
13th  of  Edward  i.  and  the  like  in  Richard  11.  may  see  several 
provisions  made  against  the  destruction  of  fish :  and  though 
I  profess  no  knowledge  of  the  Law,  yet  I  am  sure  the  regula- 
tion of  these  defects  might  be  easily  mended.  But  I  remember 
that  a  wise  friend  of  mine  did  usually  say,  *That  which  is 
every  body's  business,  is  no  body's  business.'  If  it  were  other- 
wise, there  could  not  be  so  many  nets  and  fish  that  are  under 
the  Statute-size,  sold  daily  amongst  us,  and  of  which  the  con- 
servators of  the  waters  should  be  ashamed. 

But  above  all,  the  taking  fish  in  Spawning-time,  may  be 
said  to  be  against  nature;  it  is  like  the  taking  the  dam  on 
the  nest  when  she  hatches  her  young :  a  sin  so  against  nature, 
that  Almighty  God  hath  in  the  Levitical  law  made  a  law 
against  it. 

But  the  poor  fish  have  enemies  enough  beside  such  un- 
natural fishermen,  as  namely,  the  Otters  that  I  spake  of,  the 
Cormorant,  the  Bittern,  the  Osprey,  the  Sea-gull,  the  Heron, 
the  King-fisher,  the  Gorara,  the  Puet,  the  Swan,  Goose,  Ducks, 
and  the  Craber,  which  some  call  the  Water-rat:  against  all 
which  any  honest  man  may  make  a  just  quarrel,  but  I  will 
not,  I  will  leave  them  to  be  quarrelled  with,  and  killed  by 
others;  for  I  am  not  of  a  cruel  nature,  I  love  to  kill  nothing 
but  fish. 

And  now  to  your  question  concerning  your  Host ;  to  speak 

33 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

truly,  he  is  not  to  me  a  good  companion  :  for  most  of  his 
conceits  were  either  Scripture-jests,  or  lascivious  jests ;  for 
which  I  count  no  man  witty,  for  the  Devil  will  help  a  man 
that  way  inclined,  to  the  first :  and  his  own  corrupt  nature, 
which  he  always  carries  with  him,  to  the  latter;  but  a  com- 
panion that  feasts  the  company  with  wit  and  mirth,  and  leaves 
out  the  sin  which  is  usually  mixed  with  them,  he  is  the  man; 
and  indeed  such  a  companion  should  have  his  charges  borne, 
and  to  such  company  I  hope  to  bring  you  this  night ;  for  at 
Trout-hall,  not  far  from  this  place,  where  I  purpose  to  lodge 
to-night,  there  is  usually  an  Angler  that  proves  good  company : 
and  let  me  tell  you,  good  company  and  good  discourse  are  the 
very  sinews  of  virtue :  but  for  such  discourse  as  we  heard  last 
night,  it  infects  others,  the  very  boys  will  learn  to  talk  and 
swear  as  they  heard  mine  Host,  and  another  of  the  company 
that  shall  be  nameless;  I  am  sorry  the  other  is  a  gentleman, 
for  less  Religion  will  not  save  their  souls  than  a  beggar's ;  I 
think  more  will  be  required  at  the  last  great  day.  Well,  you 
know  what  example  is  able  to  do,  and  I  know  what  the  Poet 
says  in  the  like  case,  which  is  worthy  to  be  noted  by  all  parents 
and  people  of  civility  : 

Many  a  one 
Owes  to  his  country  his  religion : 
And  in  another  would  as  strongly  grow, 
Had  but  his  nurse  or  mother  taught  him  so. 

This  is  reason  put  into  verse,  and  worthy  the  consideration 
of  a  wise  man.  But  of  this  no  more,  for  though  I  love  civility, 
yet  I  hate  severe  censures :  1 11  to  my  own  art,  and  I  doubt 
not  but  at  yonder  tree  I  shall  catch  a  Chub,  and  then  we'll 
turn  to  an  honest  cleanly  Hostess,  that  I  know  right  well ; 
rest  ourselves  there,  and  dress  it  for  our  dinner. 

Ven.  Oh  Sir,  a  Chub  is  the  worst  fish  that  swims,  I  hoped 
for  a  Trout  to  my  dinner. 

Pisc.  Trust  me.  Sir,  there  is  not  a  likely  place  for  a  Trout 
hereabout,  and  we  staid  so  long  to  take  our  leave  of  your 
Huntsmen  this  morning,  that  the  Sun  is  got  so  high,  and  shines 
so  clear,  that  I  will  not  undertake  the  catching  of  a  Trout  till 
evening ;  and  though  a  Chub  be  by  you  and  many  others 
34 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

reckoned  the  worst  of  fish,  yet  you  shall  see  I  '11  make  it  a 
good  fish,  by  dressing  it. 

Ven.    Why,  how  will  you  dress  him? 

Pisc.  I  '11  tell  you  by  and  by,  when  I  have  caught  him. 
Look  you  here.  Sir,  do  you  see  ?  but  you  must  stand  very  close, 
there  lie  upon  the  top  of  the  water  in  this  very  hole  twenty 
Chubs,  I  *11  catch  only  one,  and  that  shall  be  the  biggest  of 
them  all :  and  that  I  will  do  so,  I  '11  hold  you  twenty  to  one, 
and  you  shall  see  it  done. 

Ven.  Ay,  marry  Sir,  now  you  talk  like  an  artist,  and  I  '11 
say  you  are  one,  when  I  shall  see  you  perform  what  you  say 
you  can  do ;  but  I  yet  doubt  it. 

Pisc.  You  shall  not  doubt  it  long,  for  you  shall  see  me  do 
it  presently :  look,  the  biggest  of  these  Chubs  has  had  some 
bruise  upon  his  tail,  by  a  Pike  or  some  other  accident,  and 
that  looks  like  a  white  spot ;  that  very  Chub  I  mean  to  put 
into  your  hands  presently ;  sit  you  but  down  in  the  shade,  and 
stay  but  a  little  while,  and  I  '11  warrant  you  I  '11  bring  him 
to  you. 

Ven.  I  '11  sit  down  and  hope  well,  because  you  seem  to  be 
so  confident. 

Pisc  Look  you  Sir,  there  is  a  trial  of  my  skill,  here  he  is ; 
that  very  Chub  that  I  shewed  you  with  the  white  spot  on  his 
tail :  and  I  '11  be  as  certain  to  make  him  a  good  dish  of  meat, 
as  I  was  to  catch  him.  I'll  now  lead  you  to  an  honest  Ale- 
house where  we  shall  find  a  cleanly  room,  lavender  in  the 
windows,  and  twenty  ballads  stuck  about  the  wall ;  there  my 
Hostess,  which  I  may  tell  you,  is  both  cleanly  and  handsome 
and  civil,  hath  dressed  many  a  one  for  me,  and  shall  now  dress 
it  after  my  fashion,  and  I  warrant  it  good  meat. 

Ven.  Come  Sir,  with  all  my  heart,  for  I  begin  to  be  hungry, 
and  long  to  be  at  it,  and  indeed  to  rest  myself  too ;  for  though 
I  have  walked  but  four  miles  this  morning,  yet  I  begin  to  be 
weary ;  yesterday's  hunting  hangs  still  upon  me. 

Pisc  Well  Sir,  and  you  shall  quickly  be  at  rest,  for  yonder 
is  the  house  I  mean  to  bring  you  to. 

Come  Hostess,  how  do  you?  Will  you  first  give  us  a  cup 
of  your  best  drink,  and  then  dress  this  Chub,  as  you  dressed 
my  last,  when  I  and  my  friend  were  here  about  eight  or  ten 

35 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  OTTER  AND  CHUB 

days  ago  ?  But  you  must  do  me  one  courtesy,  it  must  be  done 
instantly. 

Hostess.  I  will  do  it,  Mr.  Piscator,  and  with  all  the  speed 
I  can. 

Pisc.  Now  Sir,  has  not  my  hostess  made  haste  ?  and  does 
not  the  Fish  look  lovely? 

Ven.  Both,  upon  my  word.  Sir,  and  therefore  let's  say 
grace,  and  fall  to  eating  of  it. 

Pisc.    Well  Sir,  how  do  you  like  it? 

Ven.  Trust  me,  'tis  as  good  meat  as  I  ever  tasted :  now 
let  me  thank  you  for  it,  drink  to  you,  and  beg  a  courtesy  of 
you ;  but  it  must  not  be  denied  me. 

Pisc.  What  is  it  I  pray  Sir?  you  are  so  modest,  that 
methinks  I  may  promise  to  grant  it  before  it  is  asked. 

Ven.  Why  Sir,  it  is,  that  from  henceforth  you  would  allow 
me  to  call  you  Master,  and  that  really  I  may  be  your  Scholar, 
for  you  are  such  a  companion,  and  have  so  quickly  caught,  and 
so  excellently  cooked  this  fish,  as  makes  me  ambitious  to  be 
your  Scholar. 

Pisc.  Give  me  your  hand ;  from  this  time  forward  I  will 
be  your  Master,  and  teach  you  as  much  of  this  art  as  I  am 
able  ;  and  will,  as  you  desire  me,  tell  you  somewhat  of  the  nature 
of  most  of  the  fish  that  we  are  to  angle  for,  and  I  am  sure  I 
both  can  and  will  tell  you  more  than  any  common  Angler 
yet  knows. 


3<5 


.4,i."^J^ 


Get  secretly  behind  the  tree,  and  stand  as  free  from  motion  as  is  possible. 


CHAPTER  III.  HOW  TO  FISH  FOR,  AND  TO  DRESS 
THE  CHAVENDER,  OR  CHUB 

PISCATOR  AND  VENATOR 

PISCATOR.  The  Chub,  though  he  eat  well  thus  dressed, 
yet  as  he  is  usually  dressed,  he  does  not :  he  is  objected 
against,  not  only  for  being  full  of  small  forked  bones, 
dispersed  through  all  his  body,  but  that  he  eats  waterish,  and 
that  the  flesh  of  him  is  not  firm,  but  short  and  tasteless.  The 
French  esteem  him  so  mean,  as  to  call  him  Un  Villain ;  never- 
theless he  may  be  so  dressed  as  to  make  him  very  good  meat ; 
as  namely,  if  he  be  a  large  Chub,  then  dress  him  thus : 

First  scale  him,  and  then  wash  him  clean,  and  then  take 
out  his  guts ;  and  to  that  end  make  the  hole  as  little  and  near 
to  his  gills  as  you  may  conveniently,  and  especially  make  clean 
his  throat  from  the  grass  and  weeds  that  are  usually  in  it,  for 
if  that  be  not  very  clean,  it  will  make  him  to  taste  very  sour ; 
having  so  done,  put  some  sweet  herbs  into  his  belly,  and  then 
tie  him  with  two  or  three  splinters  to  a  spit,  and  roast  him, 
basted  often  with  vinegar,  or  rather  verjuice  and  butter,  with 
good  store  of  salt  mixed  with  it. 

Being  thus  dressed,  you  will  find  him  a  much  better  dish 
of  meat  than  you,  or  most  folk,  even  than  Anglers  themselves 
do  imagine ;  for  this  dries  up  the  fluid  watery  humour  with 
which  all  Chubs  do  abound. 

But  take  this  rule  with  you,  that  a  Chub  newly  taken  and 
newly  dressed,  is  so  much  better  than  a  Chub  of  a  day's  keeping 
after  he  is  dead,  that  I  can  compare  him  to  nothing  so  fitly  as 
to  cherries  newly  gathered  from  a  tree,  and  others  that  have 
been  bruised  and  lain  a  day  or  two  in  water.  But  the  Chub 
being  thus  used  and  dressed  presently,  and  not  washed  after 
he  is  gutted ; — for  note,  that  lying  long  in  water,  and  washing 
the  blood  out  of  any  fish  after  they  be  gutted,  abates  much  of 

37 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR,   AND  TO   DRESS 

their  sweetness, — you  will  find  the  Chub  being  dressed  in  the 
blood  and  quickly,  to  be  such  meat  as  will  recompense  your 
labour,  and  disabuse  your  opinion. 

Or  you  may  dress  the  Chavender  or  Chub  thus : 

When  you  have  scaled  him,  and  cut  off  his  tail  and  fins, 
and  washed  him  very  clean,  then  chine  or  slit  him  through  the 
middle,  as  a  salt  fish  is  usually  cut ;  then  give  him  three  or 
four  cuts  or  scotches  on  the  back  with  your  knife,  and  broil 
him  on  charcoal,  or  wood-coal  that  are  free  from  smoke,  and 
all  the  time  he  is  a-broiling  baste  him  with  the  best  sweet 
butter,  and  good  store  of  salt  mixed  with  it ;  and  to  this  add 
a  little  thyme  cut  exceeding  small,  or  bruised  into  the  butter. 
The  Cheven  thus  dressed  hath  the  watery  taste  taken  away, 
for  which  so  many  except  against  him.  Thus  was  the  Cheven 
dressed  that  you  now  liked  so  well,  and  commended  so  much. 
But  note  again,  that  if  this  Chub  that  you  ate  of,  had  been  kept 
till  to-morrow,  he  had  not  been  worth  a  rush.  And  remember 
that  his  throat  be  washed  very  clean,  I  say  very  clean,  and 
his  body  not  washed  after  he  is  gutted,  as  indeed  no  fish 
should  be. 

Well  Scholar,  you  see  what  pains  I  have  taken  to  recover 
the  lost  credit  of  the  poor  despised  Chub.  And  now  I  will  give 
you  some  rules  how  to  catch  him ;  and  I  am  glad  to  enter  you 
into  the  Art  of  Fishing  by  catching  a  Chub,  for  there  is  no  fish 
better  to  enter  a  young  Angler,  he  is  so  easily  caught,  but  then 
it  must  be  this  particular  way. 

Go  to  the  same  hole  in  which  I  caught  my  Chub,  where 
in  most  hot  days  you  will  find  a  dozen  or  twenty  Chevens  float- 
ing near  the  top  of  the  water,  get  two  or  three  grashoppers 
as  you  go  over  the  meadow,  and  get  secretly  behind  the  tree, 
and  stand  as  free  from  motion  as  is  possible ;  then  put  a  gras- 
hopper  on  your  hook,  and  let  your  hook  hang  a  quarter  of  a 
yard  short  of  the  water,  to  which  end  you  must  rest  your  rod 
on  some  bough  of  the  tree,  but  it  is  likely  the  Chubs  will  sink 
down  towards  the  bottom  of  the  water  at  the  first  shadow  of 
your  rod,  for  a  Chub  is  the  fearfuUest  of  fishes,  and  will  do  so 
if  but  a  bird  flies  over  him,  and  makes  the  least  shadow  on  the 
water :  but  they  will  presently  rise  up  to  the  top  again,  and 
there  lie  soaring  till  some  shadow  affrights  them  again  :  I  say 
38 


THE   CHAVENDER,   OR  CHUB 

when  they  lie  upon  the  top  of  the  water,  look  out  the  best 
Chub,  which  you,  setting  yourself  in  a  fit  place,  may  very  easily 
see,  and  move  your  rod  as  softly  as  a  snail  moves,  to  that  Chub 
you  intend  to  catch ;  let  your  bait  fall  gently  upon  the  water 
three  or  four  inches  before  him,  and  he  will  infallibly  take  the 
bait,  and  you  will  be  as  sure  to  catch  him ;  for  he  is  one  of  the 
leather-mouthed  fishes,  of  which  a  hook  does  scarcely  ever  lose 
its  hold ;  and  therefore  give  him  play  enough  before  you  offer 
to  take  him  out  of  the  water.  Go  your  way  presently,  take  my 
rod,  and  do  as  I  bid  you,  and  I  will  sit  down  and  mend  my 
tackling  till  you  return  back. 

Ven.  Truly,  my  loving  Master,  you  have  offered  me  as 
fair  as  I  could  wish.     I  '11  go  and  observe  your  directions. 

Look  you,  Master,  what  I  have  done !  that  which  joys  my 
heart,  caught  just  such  another  Chub  as  your's  was. 

Pisc.  Marry,  and  I  am  glad  of  it :  I  am  like  to  have  a 
towardly  Scholar  of  you.  I  now  see,  that  with  advice  and 
practice,  you  will  make  an  Angler  in  a  short  time.  Have  but 
a  love  to  it,  and  I  '11  warrant  you. 

Ven.  But  Master,  what  if  I  could  not  have  found  a  gras- 
hopper  ? 

Pisc.  Then  I  may  tell  you,  that  a  black  snail,  with  his 
belly  slit,  to  shew  his  white ;  or  a  piece  of  soft  cheese,  will 
usually  do  as  well :  nay,  sometimes  a  worm,  or  any  kind  of  fly, 
as  the  Ant-fly,  the  Flesh-fly,  or  Wall-fly,  or  the  Dor  or  Beetle, 
which  you  may  find  under  cow-dung,  or  a  Bob,  which  you  will 
find  in  the  same  place,  and  in  time  will  be  a  Beetle ;  it  is  a 
short  white  worm,  like  to  and  bigger  than  a  Gentle,  or  a  Cod- 
worm,  or  a  Case-worm,  any  of  these  will  do  very  well  to  fish 
in  such  a  manner.  And  after  this  manner  you  may  catch  a 
Trout  in  a  hot  evening :  when  as  you  walk  by  a  brook,  and 
shall  see  or  hear  him  leap  at  flies,  then  if  you  get  a  grashopper, 
put  it  on  your  hook,  with  your  line  about  two  yards  long, 
standing  behind  a  bush  or  tree  where  his  hole  is,  and  make 
your  bait  stir  up  and  down  on  the  top  of  the  water:  you  may 
if  you  stand  close,  be  sure  of  a  bite,  but  not  sure  to  catch  him, 
for  he  is  not  a  leather-mouthed  fish  :  and  after  this  manner  you 
may  fish  for  him  with  almost  any  kind  of  live  fly,  but  especially 
with  a  Grashopper. 

39 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR,   AND  TO   DRESS 

Ven.  But  before  you  go  further,  I  pray  good  Master,  what 
mean  you  by  a  leather-mouthed  fish  ? 

Pisc.  By  a  leather-mouthed  fish,  I  mean  such  as  have  their 
teeth  in  their  throat,  as  the  Chub  or  Cheven,  and  so  the  Barbel, 
the  Gudgeon,  and  Carp,  and  divers  others  have ;  and  the  hook 
being  stuck  into  the  leather  or  skin  of  the  mouth  of  such  fish, 
does  very  seldom  or  never  lose  its  hold  :  but  on  the  contrary, 
a  Pike,  a  Perch,  or  Trout,  and  so  some  other  fish, — which  have 
not  their  teeth  in  their  throats,  but  in  their  mouths,  which  you 
shall  observe  to  be  very  full  of  bones,  and  the  skin  very  thin, 
and  little  of  it : — I  say,  of  these  fish  the  hook  never  takes  so 
sure  hold,  but  you  often  lose  your  fish,  unless  he  have  gorged  it. 

Ven.  I  thank  you,  good  Master,  for  this  observation ;  but 
now  what  shall  be  done  with  my  Chub  or  Cheven,  that  I  have 
caught  ? 

Pisc.  Marry  Sir,  it  shall  be  given  away  to  some  poor  body, 
for  I  '11  warrant  you  I  '11  give  you  a  Trout  for  your  supper : 
and  it  is  a  good  beginning  of  your  art  to  offer  your  first-fruits 
to  the  poor,  who  will  both  thank  God  and  you  for  it,  which  I 
see  by  your  silence  you  seem  to  consent  to.  And  for  your 
willingness  to  part  with  it  so  charitably,  I  will  also  teach  you 
more  concerning  Chub-fishing :  you  are  to  note  that  in  March 
and  April  he  is  usually  taken  with  worms ;  in  May,  June,  and 
July  he  will  bite  at  any  fly,  or  at  cherries,  or  at  beetles  with 
their  legs  and  wings  cut  off,  or  at  any  kind  of  snail,  or  at  the 
black  bee  that  breeds  in  clay  walls;  and  he  never  refuses  a 
grashopper  on  the  top  of  a  swift  stream,  nor  at  the  bottom  the 
young  humble-bee  that  breeds  in  long  grass,  and  is  ordinarily 
found  by  the  mower  of  it.  In  August,  and  in  the  cooler  months, 
a  yellow  paste,  made  of  the  strongest  cheese,  and  pounded  in 
a  mortar  with  a  little  butter  and  saffron,  so  much  of  it  as  being 
beaten  small  will  turn  it  to  a  lemon-colour.  And  some  make 
a  paste  for  the  Winter-months, — at  which  time  the  Chub  is 
accounted  best,  for  then  it  is  observed,  that  the  forked  bones 
are  lost  or  turned  into  a  kind  of  gristle,  especially  if  he  be  baked, 
— of  cheese  and  turpentine ;  he  will  bite  also  at  a  Minnow  or 
Penk,  as  a  Trout  will ;  of  which  I  shall  tell  you  mere  hereafter, 
and  of  divers  other  baits.  But  take  this  for  a  rule,  that  in  hot 
weather  he  is  to  be  fished  for  towards  the  mid-water,  or  near 
40 


THE   CHAVENDER,   OR  CHUB 

the  top  :  and  in  colder  weather  nearer  the  bottom.  And  if  you 
fish  for  him  on  the  top,  with  a  beetle  or  any  fly,  then  be  sure 
to  let  your  line  be  very  long,  and  to  keep  out  of  sight.  And 
having  told  you  that  his  spawn  is  excellent  meat,  and  that  the 
head  of  a  large  Cheven,  the  throat  being  well  washed,  is  the 
best  part  of  him,  I  will  say  no  more  of  this  fish  at  the  present, 
but  wish  you  may  catch  the  next  you  fish  for. 

But  lest  you  may  judge  me  too  nice  in  urging  to  have  the 
Chub  dressed  so  presently  after  he  is  taken,  I  will  commend  to 
your  consideration  how  curious  former  times  have  been  in  the 
like  kind. 

You  shall  read  in  Seneca  his  *  Natural  Questions,'  Lib.  3, 
Cap.  17,  that  the  ancients  were  so  curious  in  the  newness  of 
their  fish,  that  that  seemed  not  new  enough  that  was  not  put 
alive  into  the  guest's  hand ;  and  he  says  that  to  that  end  they 
did  usually  keep  them  living  in  glass  bottles  in  their  dining- 
rooms  ;  and  they  did  glory  much  in  their  entertaining  of  friends, 
to  have  that  fish  taken  from  under  their  table  alive,  that  was 
instantly  to  be  fed  upon.  And  he  says,  they  took  great  pleasure 
to  see  their  Mullets  change  to  several  colours,  when  they  were 
dying.  But  enough  of  this,  for  I  doubt  I  have  stayed  too  long 
from  giving  you  some  observations  of  the  Trout,  and  how  to 
fish  for  him,  which  shall  take  up  the  next  of  my  spare  time. 


41 


CHAPTER  IV.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  NATURE  AND 
BREEDING  OF  THE  TROUT,  AND  HOW  TO  FISH 
FOR   HIM.     AND  THE   MILK-MAID'S   SONG 

PISCATOR,  VENATOR,   MILK-WOMAN,  MAUDLIN,   HOSTESS 

PISCATOR.  The  Trout  is  a  fish  highly  valued  both  in  this 
and  foreign  Nations :  he  may  be  justly  said,  as  the  old 
Poet  said  of  Wine,  and  we  English  say  of  Venison,  to  be 
a  generous  fish  :  a  fish  that  is  so  like  the  Buck  that  he  also  has 
his  seasons ;  for  it  is  observed,  that  he  comes  in  and  goes  out  of 
season  with  the  Stag  and  Buck.  Gesner  says,  his  name  is  of 
a  German  offspring,  and  says  he  is  a  fish  that  feeds  clean  and 
purely,  in  the  swiftest  streams,  and  on  the  hardest  gravel ;  and 
that  he  may  justly  contend  with  all  fresh-water  fish,  as  the 
Mullet  may  with  all  sea-fish,  for  precedency  and  daintiness  of 
taste,  and  that  being  in  right  season,  the  most  dainty  palates 
have  allowed  precedency  to  him. 

And  before  I  go  farther  in  my  discourse,  let  me  tell  you, 
that  you  are  to  observe,  that  as  there  be  some  barren  Does, 
that  are  good  in  Summer,  so  there  be  some  barren  Trouts  that 
are  good  in  Winter;  but  there  are  not  many  that  are  so,  for 
usually  they  be  in  their  perfection  in  the  month  of  May,  and 
decline  with  the  Buck.  Now  you  are  to  take  notice,  that  in 
several  countries,  as  in  Germany  and  in  other  parts,  compared 
to  our's,  fish  do  differ  much  in  their  bigness,  and  shape,  and 
other  ways,  and  so  do  Trouts  ;  it  is  well  known  that  in  the  Lake 
Leman,  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  there  are  Trouts  taken  of  three 
cubits  long,  as  is  affirmed  by  Gesner,  a  writer  of  good  credit; 
and  Mercator  says,  the  Trouts  that  are  taken  in  the  Lake  of 
Geneva,  are  a  great  part  of  the  merchandize  of  that  famous 
City.  And  you  are  further  to  know,  that  there  be  certain  waters, 
that  breed  Trouts  remarkable  both  for  their  number  and  small- 
42 


NATURE  AND  BREEDING  OF  THE  TROUT 

ness.  I  know  a  little  brook  in  Kent,  that  breeds  them  to  a 
number  incredible,  and  you  may  take  them  twenty  or  forty  in 
an  hour,  but  none  greater  than  about  the  size  of  a  Gudgeon ; 
there  are  also  in  divers  rivers,  especially  that  relate  to,  or  be 
near  to  the  Sea,  as  Winchester,  or  the  Thames  about  Windsor, 
a  little  Trout  called  a  Samlet  or  Skegger-Trout,— in  both  which 
places  I  have  caught  twenty  or  forty  at  a  standing,— that  will 
bite  as  fast  and  as  freely  as  Minnows ;  these  be  by  some  taken 
to  be  young  Salmons,  but  in  those  waters  they  never  grow  to 
be  bigger  than  a  Herring. 

There  is  also  in  Kent  near  to  Canterbury,  a  Trout  called 
there  a  Fordidge  Trout,  a  Trout  that  bears  the  name  of  the 
town  where  it  is  usually  caught,  that  is  accounted  the  rarest  of 
fish  ;  many  of  them  near  the  bigness  of  a  Salmon,  but  known 
by  their  different  colour,  and  in  their  best  season  they  cut  very 
white ;  and  none  of  these  have  been  known  to  be  caught  with 
an  Angle,  unless  it  were  one  that  was  caught  by  Sir  George 
Hastings,  an  excellent  Angler,  and  now  with  God ;  and  he 
hath  told  me,  he  thought  that  Trout  bit  not  for  hunger  but 
wantonness ;  and  it  is  the  rather  to  be  believed,  because  both 
he  then,  and  many  others  before  him,  have  been  curious  to 
search  into  their  bellies,  what  the  food  was  by  which  they 
lived  :  and  have  found  out  nothing  by  which  they  might  satisfy 
their  curiosity. 

Concerning  which  you  are  to  take  notice,  that  it  is  reported 
by  good  authors,  that  Grashoppers  and  some  fish  have  no 
mouths,  but  are  nourished  and  take  breath  by  the  porousness 
of  their  gills,  Man  knows  not  how ;  and  this  may  be  believed, 
if  we  consider  that  when  the  Raven  hath  hatched  her  eggs,  she 
takes  no  farther  care,  but  leaves  her  young  ones  to  the  care 
of  the  God  of  Nature,  who  is  said  in  the  Psalms,  (Psal.  cxlvii.  9.) 
*To  feed  the  young  Ravens  that  call  upon  him.'  And  they  be 
kept  alive,  and  fed  by  a  dew,  or  worms  that  breed  in  their  nests, 
or  some  other  ways  that  we  mortals  know  not ;  and  this  may 
be  believed  of  the  Fordidge  Trout,  which,  as  it  is  said  of  the 
Stork,  (Jerem.  viii.  7.)  that  *  he  knows  his  season,*  so  he  knows 
his  times,  I  think  almost  his  day  of  coming  into  that  river  out 
of  the  sea,  where  he  lives,  and  it  is  like  feeds,  nine  months  of 
the  year,  and  fasts  three  in  the  river  of  Fordidge.     And  you 

G  43 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  NATURE  AND 

are  to  note  that  those  townsmen  are  very  punctual  in  observing 
the  time  of  beginning  to  fish  for  them  ;  and  boast  much  that 
their  river  affords  a  Trout,  that  exceeds  all  others.  And  just 
so  does  Sussex  boast  of  several  fish ;  as  namely,  a  Shelsey 
Cockle,  a  Chichester  Lobster,  an  Arundel  Mullet,  and  an  Amerly 
Trout. 

And  now  for  some  confirmation  of  the  Fordidge  Trout : 
you  are  to  know  that  this  Trout  is  thought  to  eat  nothing  in 
the  fresh  water ;  and  it  may  be  the  better  believed,  because  it 
is  well  known,  that  Swallows  and  Bats  and  Wagtails,  which 
View  Sir  Fran.  ^^^  Called  half-year  birds,  and  not  seen  to  fly  in 
Bacon,  Exper.  England  for  six  months  in  the  year,  but  about 
^'  Michaelmas  leave  us  for  a  hotter  climate  ;  yet  some 

of  them  that  have  been  left  behind  their  fellows,  have  been 
found  many  thousands  at  a  time,  in  hollow  trees,  or  clay  caves ; 
where  they  have  been  observed  to  live  and  sleep  out  the  whole 
seeTopsei'of  Winter  without  meat;  and  so  Albertus  observes, 
Froffs.'  ^1^0^  there  is  one  kind  of  Frog  that  hath  her  mouth 

naturally  shut  up  about  the  end  of  August,  and  that  she  lives 
so  all  the  Winter :  and  though  it  be  strange  to  some,  yet  it  is 
known  to  too  many  among  us  to  be  doubted. 

And  so  much  for  these  Fordidge  Trouts,  which  never  afford 
an  Angler  sport,  but  either  live  their  time  of  being  in  the  fresh 
water,  by  their  meat  formerly  gotten  in  the  sea,  not  unlike  the 
Swallow  or  Frog,  or  by  the  virtue  of  the  fresh  water  only ;  or 
as  the  Bird  of  Paradise,  and  the  Camelion  are  said  to  live  by 
the  sun  and  the  air. 

There  is  also  in  Northumberland  a  Trout  called  a  Bull- 
Trout,  of  a  much  greater  length  and  bigness,  than  any  in  these 
Southern  parts :  and  there  are  in  many  rivers  that  relate  to  the 
sea,  Salmon-Trouts,  as  much  different  from  others,  both  in  shape 
and  in  their  spots,  as  we  see  sheep  in  some  countries  differ  one 
from  another  in  their  shape  and  bigness,  and  in  the  fineness  of 
their  wool :  and  certainly,  as  some  pastures  breed  larger  sheep, 
so  do  some  rivers,  by  reason  of  the  ground  over  which  they  run, 
breed  larger  Trouts. 

Now  the  next  thing  that  I  will  commend  to  your  considera- 
tion is,  that  the  Trout  is  of  a  more  sudden  growth  than  other 
fish :  concerning  which  you  are  also  to  take  notice,  that  he 
44 


BREEDING  OF  THE  TROUT 

lives  not  so  long  as  the  Pearch  and  divers  other  fishes  do, 
as  Sir  Francis  Bacon  hath  observed  in  his  *  History  of  Life 
and  Death.' 

And  next  you  are  to  take  notice,  that  he  is  not  like  the 
Crocodile,  which  if  he  lives  never  so  long,  yet  always  thrives 
till  his  death :  but  *tis  not  so  with  the  Trout ;  for  after  he  is 
come  to  his  full  growth,  he  declines  in  his  body,  and  keeps  his 
bigness  or  thrives  only  in  his  head  till  his  death.  And  you  are 
to  know,  that  he  will  about,  especially  before,  the  time  of  his 
spawning,  get  almost  miraculously  through  wears,  and  flood- 
gates against  the  streams ;  even  through  such  high  and  swift 
places  as  is  almost  incredible.  Next,  that  the  Trout  usually 
spawns  about  October  or  November,  but  in  some  rivers  a  little 
sooner  or  later :  which  is  the  more  observable,  because  most 
other  fish  spawn  in  the  Spring  or  Summer,  when  the  sun  hath 
warmed  both  the  earth  and  water,  and  made  it  fit  for  generation. 
And  you  are  to  note,  that  he  continues  many  months  out  of 
season  :  for  it  may  be  observed  of  the  Trout,  that  he  is  like  the 
Buck  or  the  Ox,  that  will  not  be  fat  in  many  months,  though  he 
go  in  the  very  same  pasture  that  horses  do,  which  will  be  fat 
in  one  month ;  and  so  you  may  observe,  that  most  other  fishes 
recover  strength,  and  grow  sooner  fat  and  in  season,  than  the 
Trout  doth. 

And  next  you  are  to  note,  that  till  the  sun  gets  to  such  a 
height  as  to  warm  the  earth  and  the  water,  the  Trout  is  sick 
and  lean,  and  lousy,  and  unwholesome :  for  you  shall  in  Winter 
find  him  to  have  a  big  head,  and  then  to  be  lank,  and  thin,  and 
lean  :  at  which  time  many  of  them  have  sticking  on  them  Sugs, 
or  Trout-lice,  which  is  a  kind  of  a  worm,  in  shape  like  a  clove 
or  pin,  with  a  big  head,  and  sticks  close  to  him  and  sucks  his 
moisture ;  those,  I  think,  the  Trout  breeds  himself,  and  never 
thrives  till  he  free  himself  from  them,  which  is  when  warm 
weather  comes ;  and  then,  as  he  grows  stronger,  he  gets  from 
the  dead,  still  water,  into  the  sharp  streams,  and  the  gravel, 
and  there  rubs  off  these  worms  or  lice ;  and  then,  as  he  grows 
stronger,  so  he  gets  him  into  swifter  and  swifter  streams,  and 
there  lies  at  the  watch  for  any  fly  or  Minnow,  that  comes  near 
to  him  ;  and  he  especially  loves  the  May-fly,  which  is  bred  of 
the  Cod- Worm,  or  Cadis ;  and  these  make  the  Trout  bold  and 

45 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  NATURE  AND 

lusty,  and  he  is  usually  fatter  and  better  meat  at  the  end  of 
that  month,  than  at  any  time  of  the  year. 

Now  you  are  to  know,  that  it  is  observed,  that  usually  the 
best  Trouts  are  either  red  or  yellow ;  though  some,  as  the 
Fordidge  Trout,  be  white  and  yet  good  ;  but  that  is  not  usual : 
and  it  is  a  note  observable,  that  the  female  Trout  hath  usually 
a  less  head,  and  a  deeper  body  than  the  male  Trout ;  and  is 
usually  the  better  meat :  and  note,  that  a  hog-back,  and  a  little 
head  to  either  Trout,  Salmon,  or  any  other  fish,  is  a  sign  that 
that  fish  is  in  season. 

But  yet  you  are  to  note,  that  as  you  see  some  willows  or 
palm-trees,  bud  and  blossom  sooner  than  others  do,  so  some 
Trouts  be  in  rivers  sooner  in  season :  and  as  some  hollies  or 
oaks  are  longer  before  they  cast  their  leaves,  so  are  some 
Trouts  in  rivers  longer  before  they  go  out  of  season. 

And  you  are  to  note,  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  Trouts, 
but  these  several  kinds  are  not  considered  but  by  very  few 
men,  for  they  go  under  the  general  name  of  Trouts :  just  as 
Pigeons  do  in  most  places  ;  though  it  is  certain  there  are  tame, 
and  wild  Pigeons  :  and  of  the  tame,  there  be  Helmits  and  Runts, 
and  Carriers,  and  Cropers,  and  indeed  too  many  to  name.  Nay, 
the  Royal  Society  have  found  and  published  lately,  that  there 
be  thirty  and  three  kinds  of  Spiders :  and  yet  all,  for  aught  I 
know,  go  under  that  one  general  name  of  Spider.  And  'tis  so 
with  many  kinds  of  fish,  and  of  Trouts  especially,  which  differ 
in  their  bigness  and  shape,  and  spots  and  colour.  The  great 
Kentish  Hens  may  be  an  instance  compared  to  other  hens ; 
and  doubtless  there  is  a  kind  of  small  Trout,  which  will  never 
thrive  to  be  big,  that  breeds  very  many  more  than  others  do, 
that  be  of  a  larger  size ;  which  you  may  rather  believe,  if  you 
consider,  that  the  little  Wren  and  Titmouse  will  have  tv/enty 
young  ones  at  a  time,  when  usually  the  noble  Hawk,  or  the 
musical  Thrassel  or  Black-bird,  exceed  not  four  or  five. 

And  now  you  shall  see  me  try  my  skill  to  catch  a  Trout, 
and  at  my  next  walking,  either  this  evening,  or  to-morrow 
morning,  I  will  give  you  direction  how  you  yourself  shall  fish 
for  him. 

Ven.  Trust  me.  Master,  I  see  now  it  is  a  harder  matter  to 
catch  ^  Trout  than  a  Chub :  for  I  have  put  on  patience,  and 
46 


BREEDING   OF  THE  TROUT 

followed  you  these  two  hours,  and  not  seen  a  fish  stir,  neither 
at  your  minnow  nor  your  worm. 

Pisc.  Well  Scholar,  you  must  endure  worse  luck  some- 
time, or  you  will  never  make  a  good  Angler.  But  what  say 
you  now?  there  is  a  Trout  now,  and  a  good  one  too,  if  I  can 
but  hold  him,  and  two  or  three  turns  more  will  tire  him  : 
Now  you  see  he  lies  still,  and  the  sleight  is  to  land  him : 
reach  me  that  landing-net :  so,  Sir,  now  he  is  mine  own, 
what  say  you  now  ?  is  not  this  worth  all  my  labour  and  your 
patience  ? 

Ven.  On  my  word.  Master,  this  is  a  gallant  Trout,  what 
shall  we  do  with  him  ? 

Pisc.  Marry,  e'en  eat  him  to  supper :  we  '11  go  to  my 
Hostess,  from  whence  we  came  ;  she  told  me,  as  I  was  going 
out  of  door,  that  my  brother  Peter,  a  good  Angler  and  a  cheer- 
ful companion,  had  sent  word  he  would  lodge  there  to-night, 
and  bring  a  friend  with  him.  My  Hostess  has  two  beds,  and 
I  know,  you  and  I  may  have  the  best :  we  '11  rejoice  with 
my  brother  Peter  and  his  friend,  tell  tales,  or  sing  ballads, 
or  make  a  catch,  or  find  some  harmless  sport  to  content  us, 
and  pass  away  a  little  time  without  offence  to  God  or  man. 

Ven.  a  match,  good  Master,  let's  go  to  that  house,  for 
the  linen  looks  white,  and  smells  of  lavender,  and  I  long  to  lie 
in  a  pair  of  sheets  that  smell  so :  let 's  be  going,  good  Master, 
for  I  am  hungry  again  with  fishing. 

Pisc  Nay,  stay  a  little,  good  Scholar,  I  caught  my  last 
Trout  with  a  worm,  now  I  will  put  on  a  Minnow  and  try  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  about  yonder  trees  for  another,  and  so  walk 
towards  our  lodging.  Look  you.  Scholar,  thereabout  we  shall 
have  a  bite  presently,  or  not  at  all :  have  with  you  Sir !  o'  my 
word  I  have  hold  of  him.  Oh  it  is  a  great  logger-headed  Chub ; 
come,  hang  him  upon  that  willow  twig,  and  let's  be  going. 
But  turn  out  of  the  way  a  little,  good  Scholar,  towards  yonder 
high  honeysuckle  hedge  ;  there  we  '11  sit  and  sing  whilst  this 
shower  falls  so  gently  upon  the  teeming  earth,  and  gives  yet 
a  sweeter  smell  to  the  lovely  flowers  that  adorn  these  verdant 
meadows. 

Look,  under  that  broad  beech-tree,  I  sat  down,  when  I  was 
last  this  way  a-fishing,  and  the  birds  in  the  adjoining  grove 

47 


THE   MILK-MAID'S   SONG 

seemed  to  have  a  friendly  contention  with  an  echo,  whose  dead 
voice  seemed  to  live  in  a  hollow  tree,  near  to  the  brow  of  that 
primrose-hill ;  there  I  sat  viewing  the  silver  streams  glide 
silently  towards  their  centre,  the  tempestuous  sea ;  yet  some- 
times opposed  by  rugged  roots,  and  pebble-stones,  which  broke 
their  waves,  and  turned  them  into  foam :  and  sometimes  I 
beguiled  time  by  viewing  the  harmless  lambs,  some  leaping 
securely  in  the  cool  shade,  whilst  others  sported  themselves  in 
the  cheerful  sun ;  and  saw  others  craving  comfort  from  the 
swollen  udders  of  their  bleating  dams.  As  I  thus  sat,  these 
and  other  sights  had  so  fully  possessed  my  soul  with  content, 
that  I  thought  as  the  Poet  has  happily  expressed  it ; 

I  was  for  that  time  lifted  above  earth  ; 
And  possess'd  joys  not  promis'd  in  my  birth. 

As  I  left  this  place,  and  entered  into  the  next  field,  a  second 
pleasure  entertained  me ;  'twas  a  handsome  Milk-maid  that 
had  not  yet  attained  so  much  age  and  wisdom  as  to  load  her 
mind  with  any  fears  of  many  things  that  will  never  be,  as  too 
many  men  too  often  do ;  but  she  cast  away  all  care,  and  sung 
like  a  nightingale :  her  voice  was  good,  and  the  ditty  fitted  for 
it ;  'twas  that  smooth  song,  which  was  made  by  Kit.  Marlow, 
now  at  least  fifty  years  ago :  and  the  Milk-maid's  mother  sung 
an  answer  to  it,  which  was  made  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in 
his  younger  days. 

They  were  old-fashioned  poetry,  but  choicely  good,  I  think 
much  better  than  the  strong  lines  that  are  now  in  fashion  in 
this  critical  age.  Look  yonder !  on  my  word,  yonder  they  both 
be  a-milking  again.  I  will  give  her  the  Chub,  and  persuade 
them  to  sing  those  two  songs  to  us. 

God  speed  you,  good  woman !  I  have  been  a-fishing,  and 
am  going  to  Bleak-Hall  to  my  bed,  and  having  caught  more 
fish  than  will  sup  myself  and  my  friend,  I  will  bestow  this  upon 
you  and  your  daughter,  for  I  use  to  sell  none. 

MiLK-w.  Marry  God  requite  you,  Sir,  and  we  '11  eat  it 
cheerfully ;  and  if  you  come  this  way  a-fishing  two  months 
hence,  a  grace  of  God  I  '11  give  you  a  syllabub  of  new  verjuice 
in  a  new-made  hay-cock  for  it,  and  my  Maudlin  shall  sing 
you  one  of  her  best  ballads ;  for  she  and  I  both  love  all 
48 


THE   MILK-MAID'S  SONG 

Anglers,  they  be  such  honest,  civil,  quiet  men  ;  in  the  mean 
time  will  you  drink  a  draught  of  Red-cow's  milk?  you  shall 
have  it  freely. 

Pisc.  No,  I  thank  you,  but  I  pray  do  us  a  courtesy  that 
shall  stand  you  and  your  daughter  in  nothing,  and  yet  we 
will  think  ourselves  still  something  in  your  debt ;  it  is  but 
to  sing  us  a  song,  that  was  sung  by  your  daughter,  when 
I  last  passed  over  this  Meadow,  about  eight  or  nine  days 
since. 

MiLK-w.  What  song  was  it,  I  pray  ?  Was  it,  *  Come 
Shepherds  deck  your  herds,'  or,  *  As  at  noon  Dulcinea  rested ' : 
or,  *  Philida  flouts  me ' :  or,  *  Chevy  Chace '  ?  or,  *  Johnny  Arm- 
strong '  ?  or,  *  Troy  Town '  ? 

Pisc.  No,  it  is  none  of  those :  it  is  a  song,  that  your 
daughter  sung  the  first  part,  and  you  sung  the  answer 
to  it. 

MiLK-w.  O,  I  know  it  now,  I  learned  the  first  part  in  my 
golden  age,  when  I  was  about  the  age  of  my  poor  daughter ; 
and  the  latter  part,  which  indeed  fits  me  best  now,  but  two 
or  three  years  ago,  when  the  cares  of  the  world  began  to  take 
hold  of  me  :  but  you  shall,  God  willing,  hear  them  both,  and 
sung  as  well  as  we  can,  for  we  both  love  Anglers.  Come 
Maudlin,  sing  the  first  part  to  the  gentlemen  with  a  merry 
heart,  and  I  '11  sing  the  second,  when  you  have  done. 


THE  MILK-MAID'S  SONG 

Come  live  with  me,  and  be  my  Love, 
And  we  will  all  the  pleasures  prove 
That  valleys,  groves,  or  hills,  or  field. 
Or  woods,  and  steepy  mountains  yield. 

Where  we  will  sit  upon  the  rocks, 
And  see  the  Shepherds  feed  our  flocks, 
By  shallow  rivers,  to  whose  falls 
Melodious  birds  sing  madrigals. 

And  I  will  make  thee  beds  of  roses, 
And  then  a  thousand  fragrant  posies, 
A  cap  of  flowers,  and  a  kirtle 
Embroider'd  all  with  leaves  of  mjrrtle. 

49 


THE   MILK-MAID'S   SONG 

A  gown  made  of  the  finest  wool, 
Which  from  our  pretty  lambs  we  pull; 
Slippers  lin'd  choicely  for  the  cold, 
With  buckles  of  the  purest  gold. 

A  belt  of  straw,  and  ivy-buds. 
With  coral  clasps  and  amber  studs ; 
And  if  these  pleasures  may  thee  move, 
Come  live  with  me,  and  be  my  Love. 

Thy  silver  dishes  for  thy  meat. 
As  precious  as  the  Gods  do  eat, 
Shall  on  an  ivory  table  be 
Prepar'd  each  day  for  thee  and  me. 

The  Shepherd-Swains  shall  dance  and  sing, 
For  thy  delight  each  May-morning: 
If  these  delights  thy  mind  may  move, 
Then  live  with  me,  and  be  my  Love. 

Ven.  Trust  me,  Master,  it  is  a  choice  Song,  and  sweetly 
sung  by  honest  Maudlin.  I  now  see  it  was  not  without  cause, 
that  our  good  Queen  Elizabeth  did  so  often  wish  herself  a 
Milk-maid  all  the  month  of  May,  because  they  are  not  troubled 
with  fears  and  cares,  but  sing  sweetly  all  the  day,  and  sleep 
securely  all  the  night :  and  without  doubt,  honest,  innocent, 
pretty  Maudlin  does  so.  I  '11  bestow  Sir  Thomas  Overbury's 
Milk-maid's  wish  upon  her,  *That  she  may  die  in  the  Spring, 
and  being  dead,  may  have  good  store  of  flowers  stuck  round 
about  her  winding  sheet' 

THE  MILK-MAID'S  MOTHER'S  ANSWER 

If  all  the  world  and  love  were  young. 
And  truth  in  every  Shepherd's  tongue. 
These  pretty  pleasures  might  me  move 
To  live  with  thee,  and  be  thy  Love. 

But  time  drives  flocks  from  field  to  fold,      r 
When  rivers  rage,  and  rocks  grow  cold, 
Then  Philomel  becometh  dumb. 
And  age  complains  of  care  to  come. 

The  flowers  do  fade,  and  wanton  fields 
To  wajrward  Winter  reckoning  yields, 
A  honey  tongue,  a  heart  of  gall, 
Is  fancy's  spring,  but  sorrow's  fall. 
50 


THE   MILK-MAID'S   SONG 

Thy  gowns,  thy  shoes,  thy  beds  of  roses, 
Thy  cap,  thy  kirtle,  and  thy  posies. 
Soon  break,  soon  wither,  soon  forgotten, 
In  folly  ripe,  in  reason  rotten. 

Thy  belt  of  straw,  and  ivy-buds. 
Thy  coral  clasps,  and  amber  studs. 
All  these  in  me  no  means  can  move 
To  come  to  thee,  and  be  thy  Love. 

What  should  we  talk  of  dainties  then. 
Of  better  meat  than 's  fit  for  men  ? 
These  are  but  vain :  that 's  only  good 
Which  God  hath  blest,  and  sent  for  food. 

But  could  youth  last,  and  love  still  breed. 
Had  joys  no  date,  nor  age  no  need ; — 
Then  those  delights  my  mind  might  move, 
To  live  with  thee,  and  be  thy  Love. 

Mother.  Well,  I  have  done  my  song ;  but  stay,  honest 
Anglers,  for  I  will  make  Maudlin  to  sing  you  one  short  song 
more.  Maudlin,  sing  that  song  that  you  sung  last  night,  when 
young  Coridon  the  Shepherd  played  so  purely  on  his  oaten 
pipe  to  you  and  your  Ccusin  Retty. 

Maud.   I  will,  Mother. 

I  married  a  Wife  of  late, 
The  more 's  my  unhappy  fate : 

I  married  her  for  love. 

As  my  fancy  did  me  move, 
And  not  for  a  worldly  estate : 

But  Oh  1  the  green-sickness 
Soon  changed  her  likeness; 
And  all  her  beauty  did  fail. 
But  'tis  not  so. 
With  those  that  go, 
Through  frost  and  snow, 
As  all  men  know, 
And  carry  the  milking-pail. 

Pisc  Well  sung,  good  Woman ;  I  thank  you ;  I  '11  give 
you  another  dish  of  fish  one  of  these  days ;    and   then    beg 

51 


THE   MILK-MAID'S  SONG 

another  song  of  you.  Come,  Scholar,  let  Maudlin  alone ;  do 
not  you  offer  to  spoil  her  voice.  Look,  yonder  comes  mine 
Hostess,  to  call  us  to  supper.  How  now ;  is  my  Brother  Peter 
come  ? 

Host.  Yes,  and  a  friend  with  him ;  they  are  both  glad  to 
hear  that  you  are  in  these  parts,  and  long  to  see  you,  and  long 
to  be  aX  supper,  for  they  be  very  hungry. 


5« 


CHAPTER  V.  MORE  DIRECTIONS  HOW  TO  FISH 
FOR,  AND  HOW  TO  MAKE  FOR  THE  TROUT  AN 
ARTIFICIAL  MINNOW,  AND  FLIES,  WITH  SOME 
MERRIMENT 

PISCATOR,   PETER,  VENATOR,  CORIDON 

PISCATOR.  Well  met,  Brother  Peter ;  I  heard  you  and  a 
friend  would  lodge  here  to-night,  and  that  hath  made  me 
to  bring  my  friend  to  lodge  here  too.  My  friend  is  one 
that  would  fain  be  a  Brother  of  the  Angle ;  he  hath  been  an 
Angler  but  this  day,  and  I  have  taught  him  how  to  catch  a 
Chub  by  daping  with  a  Grashopper,  and  the  Chub  he  caught 
was  a  lusty  one  of  nineteen  inches  long.  But  pray.  Brother 
Peter,  who  is  your  companion? 

Peter.  Brother  Piscator,  my  friend  is  an  honest  Country- 
man, and  his  name  is  Coridon,  and  he  is  a  downright  witty 
companion,  that  met  me  here  purposely  to  be  pleasant  and 
eat  a  Trout,  and  I  have  not  yet  wetted  my  line  since  we  met 
together ;  but  I  hope  to  fit  him  with  a  Trout  for  his  breakfast, 
for  I  '11  be  early  up. 

Pisc.  Nay  Brother  you  shall  not  stay  so  long:  for  look 
you  here  is  a  Trout  will  fill  six  reasonable  bellies.  Come 
Hostess,  dress  it  presently,  and  get  us  what  other  meat  the 
house  will  afford,  and  give  us  some  of  your  best  Barley-wine, 
the  good  liquor  that  our  honest  forefathers  did  use  to  drink 
of ;  the  drink  which  preserved  their  health  and  made  them  live 
so  long,  and  to  do  so  many  good  deeds. 

Pet.  O*  my  word  this  Trout  is  perfect  in  season.  Come, 
I  thank  you,  and  here  is  a  hearty  draught  to  you,  and  to  all 
the  Brothers  of  the  Angle  wheresoever  they  be,  and  to  my 
young  brother's  good  fortune  to-morrow;   I  will  furnish  him 

53 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

with  a  rod,  if  you  will  furnish  him  with  the  rest  of  the  tackling ; 
we  will  set  him  up  and  make  him  a  fisher. 

And  I  will  tell  him  one  thing  for  his  encouragement,  that 
his  fortune  hath  made  him  happy  to  be  Scholar  to  such  a 
Master ;  a  Master  that  knows  as  much  both  of  the  nature  and 
breeding  of  fish  as  any  man  :  and  can  also  tell  him  as  well  how 
to  catch  and  cook  them,  from  the  Minnow  to  the  Salmon,  as 
any  that  I  ever  met  withal. 

Pisc.  Trust  me.  Brother  Peter,  I  find  my  Scholar  to  be 
so  suitable  to  my  own  humour,  which  is  to  be  free,  and  pleasant, 
and  civilly  merry,  that  my  resolution  is  to  hide  nothing  that 
I  know  from  him.  Believe  me.  Scholar,  this  is  my  resolution  ; 
and  so  here 's  to  you  a  hearty  draught,  and  to  all  that  love 
us,  and  the  honest  Art  of  Angling. 

Ven.  Trust  me,  good  Master,  you  shall  not  sow  your  seed 
in  barren  ground,  for  I  hope  to  return  you  an  increase  answer- 
able to  your  hopes ;  but  however  you  shall  find  me  obedient,, 
and  thankful,  and  serviceable  to  my  best  ability. 

Pisc.  'Tis  enough,  honest  Scholar,  come  let's  to  supper. 
Come  my  friend  Coridon,  this  Trout  looks  lovely,  it  was 
twenty-two  inches  when  it  was  taken,  and  the  belly  of  it 
looked  some  part  of  it  as  yellow  as  a  marigold,  and  part  of 
it  as  white  as  a  lily,  and  yet  methinks  it  looks  better  in  this 
good  sauce. 

CoRiDON.  Indeed  honest  friend,  it  looks  well,  and  tastes 
well,  I  thank  you  for  it,  and  so  doth  my  friend  Peter,  or  else 
he  is  to  blame. 

Pet.  Yes,  and  so  I  do,  we  all  thank  you,  and  when  we 
have  supped,  I  will  get  my  friend  Coridon  to  sing  you  a  song 
for  requital. 

Cor.  I  will  sing  a  song,  if  any  body  will  sing  another; 
else,  to  be  plain  with  you,  I  will  sing  none :  I  am  none  of 
those  that  sing  for  meat,  but  for  company :  I  say,  *  'Tis  merry 
in  hall,  when  men  sing  all.' 

Pisc.  I  '11  promise  you  I  '11  sing  a  song  that  was  lately 
made  at  my  request,  by  Mr.  William  Basse,  one  that  hath 
made  the  choice  songs  of  the  *  Hunter  in  his  career,'  and  of 
*Tom  of  Bedlam,'  and  many  others  of  note  ;  and  this  that  I  will 
sing  is  in  praise  of  Angling. 
54 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

Cor.  And  then  mine  shall  be  the  praise  of  a  Countryman's 
Life :  what  will  the  rest  sing  of  ? 

Pet.  I  will  promise  you,  I  will  sing  another  song  in  praise 
of  Angling  to-morrow  night,  for  we  will  not  part  till  then,  but 
fish  to-morrow,  and  sup  together,  and  the  next  day  every  man 
leave  fishing,  and  fall  to  his  business. 

Ven.  'Tis  a  match,  and  I  will  provide  you  a  song  or 
a  catch  against  then  too,  which  shall  give  some  addition  of 
mirth  to  the  company ;  for  we  will  be  civil  and  as  merry  as 
beggars. 

Pisc.  'Tis  a  match  my  Masters,  let's  ev'n  say  grace,  and 
turn  to  the  fire,  drink  the  other  cup  to  wet  our  whistles,  and 
so  sing  away  all  sad  thoughts. 

Come  on  my  Masters,  who  begins?  I  think  it  is  best  to 
draw  cuts,  and  avoid  contention. 

Pet.  It  is  a  match.  —  Look,  the  shortest  cut  falls  to 
Coridon. 

CoR.  Well  then,  I  will  begin,  for  I  hate  contention. 

CORIDON'S  SONG 

Oh  the  sweet  contentment 
The  Countryman  doth  find  I 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe, 

High  trolollie  lollie  lee, 
That  quiet  contemplation 
Possesseth  all  my  mind : 

Then  care  away, 

And  wend  along  with  me. 

For  Courts  are  full  of  flattery, 
As  hath  too  oft  been  tried; 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
The  City  full  of  wantonness, 
And  both  are  full  of  pride : 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

But  Oh  1  the  honest  Countryman 
Speaks  truly  from  his  heart. 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
His  pride  is  in  his  tillage, 
His  horses,  and  his  cart: 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

55 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

Our  clothing  is  good  sheep-skins, 
Grey  russet  for  our  wives, 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
'Tis  warmth  and  not  gay  clothing 
That  doth  prolong  our  lives : 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

The  Ploughman  though  he  labour  hard, 
Yet  on  the  holiday. 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
No  Emperor  so  merrily 
Does  pass  his  time  away: 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

To  recompense  our  tillage, 

The  Heavens  afford  us  showers; 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
And  for  our  sweet  refreshments 
The  earth  affords  us  bowers: 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

The  Cuckoo  and  the  Nightingale 
Full  merrily  do  sing. 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
And  with  their  pleasant  roundelays 
Bid  welcome  to  the  Spring: 

Then  care  away,  &c. 

This  is  not  half  the  happiness 
The  Countryman  enjoys; 

High  trolollie  lollie  loe,  &c. 
Though  others  think  they  have  as  much, 
Yet  he  that  says  so  lies : 

Then  come  away,  turn 

Countryman  with  me. 

Jo.  Chalkhill. 

Pisc.  Well  sung  Coridon,  this  song  was  sung  with  mettle ; 
and  it  was  choicely  fitted  to  the  occasion ;  I  shall  love  you  for 
it  as  long  as  I  know  you ;  I  would  you  were  a  Brother  of  the 
Angle,  for  a  companion  that  is  cheerful,  and  free  from  swearing 
and  scurrilous  discourse,  is  worth  gold.  I  love  such  mirth  as 
does  not  make  friends  ashamed  to  look  upon  one  another  next 
morning  ;  nor  men  that  cannot  well  bear  it,  to  repent  the  money 
they  spend  when  they  be  warmed  with  drink :  and  take  this 
for  a  rule,  you  may  pick  out  such  times  and  such  companies, 
that  you  may  make  yourselves  merrier  for  a  little  than  a  great 
56 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE  TROUT 

deal  of  money ;  for  *  'Tis  the  company  and  not  the  charge  that 
makes  the  feast ' :  and  such  a  companion  you  prove,  I  thank 
you  for  it. 

But  I  will  not  compliment  you  out  of  the  debt  that  I  owe 
you,  and  therefore  I  will  begin  my  Song,  and  wish  it  may  be 
so  well  liked. 

THE  ANGLER'S  SONG 

As  inward  love  breeds  outward  talk, 

The  Hound  some  praise,  and  some  the  Hawk : 

Some  better  pleas'd  with  private  sport 

Use  Tennis,  some  a  Mistress  court : 

But  these  delights  I  neither  wish, 

Nor  envy,  while  I  freely  fish. 

Who  Hunts,  doth  oft  in  danger  ride; 
Who  Hawks,  lures  oft  both  far  and  wide ; 
Who  uses  Games  shall  often  prove 
A  loser;  but  who  falls  in  love, 

Is  fettered  in  fond  Cupid's  snare : 

My  Angle  breeds  me  no  such  care. 

Of  recreation  there  is  none 
So  free'  as  Fishing  is  alone ; 
All  other  pastimes  do  no  less 
Than  mind  and  body  both  possess : 

My  hand  alone  my  work  can  do, 

So  I  can  fish  and  study  too. 

I  care  not,  I,  to  fish  in  seas, 
Fresh  rivers  best  my  mind  do  please. 
Whose  sweet  calm  course  I  contemplate, 
And  seek  in  life  to  imitate : 

In  civil  bounds  I  fain  would  keep, 

And  for  my  past  offences  weep. 

And  when  the  timorous  Trout  I  wait 

To  take,  and  he  devours  my  bait. 

How  poor  a  thing  sometimes  I  find 

Will  captivate  a  greedy  mind : 
And  when  none  bite,  I  praise  the  wise. 
Whom  vain  allurements  ne'er  surprise. 

But  yet,  though  while  I  fish  I  fast ; 
I  make  good  fortune  my  repast, 
And  thereunto  my  friend'Snvite, 
In  whom  I  more  than  that  delight: 

Who  is  more  welcome  to  my  dish, 

Than  to  my  angle  was  my  fish. 

«  57 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

As  well  content  no  prize  to  take, 
As  use  of  taken  prize  to  make : 
For  so  our  Lord  was  pleased  when 
He  fishers  made  fishers  of  men : 

Where,  which  is  in  no  other  game, 

A  man  may  fish  and  praise  his  name. 

The  first  men  that  our  Saviour  dear 
Did  choose  to  wait  upon  him  here. 
Blest  fishers  were,  and  fish  the  last 
Food  was,  that  he  on  earth  did  taste. 

I  therefore  strive  to  follow  those. 

Whom  he  to  follow  him  hath  chose. 

Cor.  Well  sung  Brother,  you  have  paid  your  debt  in  good 
coin ;  we  Anglers  are  all  beholden  to  the  good  man  that  made 
this  song.  Come  Hostess,  give  us  more  Ale,  and  let's  drink 
to  him. 

And  now  let  *s  every  one  go  to  bed  that  we  may  rise  early  ; 
but  first  let's  pay  our  reckoning,  for  I  will  have  nothing  to 
hinder  me  in  the  morning ;  for  my  purpose  is  to  prevent  the 
Sun  rising. 

Pet.  a  match  ;  come  Coridon,  you  are  to  be  my  bed- 
fellow :  I  know.  Brother,  you  and  your  Scholar  will  lie  together ; 
but  where  shall  we  meet  to-morrow  night  ?  for  my  friend 
Coridon  and  I  will  go  up  the  water  towards  Ware. 

Pisc.  And  my  Scholar  and  I  will  go  down  towards 
Waltham. 

Cor.  Then  let 's  meet  here ;  for  here  are  fresh  sheets  that 
smell  of  lavender,  and  I  am  sure  we  cannot  expect  better  meat, 
or  better  usage  in  any  place. 

Pet.   'Tis  a  match.     Good  night  to  every  body. 

Pisc.   And  so  say  I. 

Ven.   And  so  say  I. 


Pisc.  Good  morrow,  good  Hostess,  I  see  my  Brother  Peter 
is  still  in  bed :  Come  give  my  Scholar  and  me  a  morning- 
drink,  and  a  bit  of  meat  to  breakfast,  and  be  sure  to  get  a 
good  dish  of  meat  or  two  against  supper,  for  we  shall  come 
home  as  hungry  as  hawks.  Come,  Scholar,  let's  be  going. 
58 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE  TROUT 

Ven.  Well  now,  good  Master,  as  we  walk  towards  the 
river  give  me  direction,  according  to  your  promise,  how  I  shall 
fish  for  a  Trout. 

Pisc.  My  honest  Scholar,  I  will  take  this  very  convenient 
opportunity  to  do  it. 

The  Trout  is  usually  caught  with  a  worm  or  a  Minnow, 
which  some  call  a  Penk,  or  with  a  fly,  viz.  either  a  natural  or 
an  artificial  fly :  concerning  which  three  I  will  give  you  some 
observations  and  directions. 

And  first  for  worms :  of  these  there  be  very  many  sorts ; 
some  breed  only  in  the  earth,  as  the  Earth-worm ;  others  of  or 
amongst  plants,  as  the  Dug-worm ;  and  others  breed  either  out 
of  excrements,  or  in  the  bodies  of  living  creatures,  as  in  the 
horns  of  sheep  or  deer ;  or  some  of  dead  flesh,  as  the  Maggot 
or  Gentle,  and  others. 

Now  these  be  most  of  them  particularly  good  for  particular 
fishes :  but  for  the  Trout,  the  Dew-worm,  which  some  also  call 
the  Lob-worm,  and  the  Brandling,  are  the  chief ;  and  especially 
the  first  for  a  great  Trout,  and  the  latter  for  a  less.  There  be 
also  of  Lob-worms  some  called  Squirrel-tails,  a  worm  that  has 
a  red  head,  a  streak  down  the  back,  and  a  broad  tail,  which 
are  noted  to  be  the  best,  because  they  are  the  toughest  and 
most  lively,  and  live  longest  in  the  water :  for  you  are  to  know, 
that  a  dead  worm  is  but  a  dead  bait,  and  like  to  catch  nothing, 
compared  to  a  lively,  quick  stirring  worm  :  and  for  a  Brandling, 
he  is  usually  found  in  an  old  dunghill,  or  some  very  rotten  place 
near  to  it :  but  most  usually  in  cow-dung,  or  hog's  dung,  rather 
than  horse-dung,  which  is  somewhat  too  hot  and  dry  for  that 
worm.  But  the  best  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  the  bark  of 
the  tanners,  which  they  cast  up  in  heaps  after  they  have  used 
it  about  their  leather. 

There  are  also  divers  other  kinds  of  worms,  which  for  colour 
and  shape  alter  even  as  the  ground  out  of  which  they  are  got, 
as  the  Marsh-worm,  the  Tag-tail,  the  Flag-worm,  the  Dock- 
worm,  the  Oak-worm,  the  Gilt-tail,  the  Twachel  or  Lob-worm, 
which  of  all  others  is  the  most  excellent  bait  for  a  Salmon,  and 
too  many  to  name,  even  as  many  sorts  as  some  think  there  be 
of  several  herbs  or  shrubs,  or  of  several  kinds  of  birds  in  the 
air ;  of  which  I  shall  say  no  more,  but  tell  you,  that  what  worms 

59 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

soever  you  fish  with,  are  the  better  for  being  well  scoured,  that 
is,  long  kept  before  they  be  used  :  and  in  case  you  have  not 
been  so  provident,  then  the  way  to  cleanse  and  scour  them 
quickly,  is  to  put  them  all  night  in  water,  if  they  be  Lob-worms, 
and  then  put  them  into  your  bag  with  fennel ;  but  you  must 
not  put  your  Brandlings  above  an  hour  in  water,  and  then  put 
them  into  fennel  for  sudden  use  ;  but  if  you  have  time,  and 
purpose  to  keep  them  long,  then  they  be  best  preserved  in  an 
earthen  pot  with  good  store  of  moss,  which  is  to  be  fresh  every 
three  or  four  days  in  summer,  and  every  week  or  eight  days  in 
winter ;  or  at  least  the  moss  taken  from  them,  and  clean  washed, 
and  wrung  betwixt  your  hands  till  it  be  dry,  and  then  put  it  to 
them  again.  And  when  your  worms,  especially  the  Brandling, 
begins  to  be  sick  and  lose  of  his  bigness,  then  you  may  recover 
him,  by  putting  a  little  milk  or  cream,  about  a  spoonful  in  a  day, 
into  them  by  drops  on  the  moss ;  and  if  there  be  added  to  the 
cream  an  egg  beaten  and  boiled  in  it,  then  it  will  both  fatten 
and  preserve  them  long.  And  note,  that  when  the  knot,  which 
is  near  to  the  middle  of  the  Brandling,  begins  to  swell,  then  he 
is  sick,  and,  if  he  be  not  well  looked  to,  is  near  dying.  And  for 
moss  you  are  to  note,  that  there  be  divers  kinds  of  it,  which  I 
could  name  to  you,  but  will  only  tell  you,  that  that  which  is 
likest  a  buck's  horn  is  the  best,  except  it  be  soft  white  moss, 
which  grows  on  some  heaths,  and  is  hard  to  be  found.  And 
note,  that  in  a  very  dry  time,  when  you  are  put  to  an  extremity 
for  worms,  walnut-tree  leaves  squeezed  into  water,  or  salt  in 
water,  to  make  it  bitter  or  salt,  and  then  that  water  poured  on 
the  ground,  where  you  shall  see  worms  are  used  to  rise  in  the 
night,  will  make  them  to  appear  above  ground  presently.  And 
you  may  take  notice,  some  say  that  camphor  put  into  your 
bag  with  your  moss  and  worms,  gives  them  a  strong  and  so 
tempting  a  smell,  that  the  fish  fare  the  worse  and  you  the 
better  for  it. 

And  now  I  shall  shew  you  how  to  bait  your  hook  with  a 
worm,  so  as  shall  prevent  you  from  much  trouble,  and  the  loss 
of  many  a  hook  too,  when  you  fish  for  a  Trout  with  a  running- 
line,  that  is  to  say,  when  you  fish  for  him  by  hand  at  the  ground : 
I  will  direct  you  in  this  as  plainly  as  I  can,  that  you  may  not 
mistake. 
60 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

Suppose  it  be  a  big  Lob-worm,  put  your  hook  into  him 
somewhat  above  the  middle,  and  out  again  a  little  below  the 
middle :  having  so  done,  draw  your  worm  above  the  arming  of 
your  hook ;  but  note,  that  at  the  entering  of  your  hook  it  must 
not  be  at  the  head-end  of  the  worm,  but  at  the  tail-end  of  him, 
that  the  point  of  your  hook  may  come  out  toward  the  head-end, 
and  having  drawn  him  above  the  arming  of  your  hook,  then 
put  the  point  of  your  hook  again  into  the  very  head  of  the 
worm,  till  it  come  near  to  the  place  where  the  point  of  the  hook 
first  came  out :  and  then  draw  back  that  part  of  the  worm  that 
was  above  the  shank  or  arming  of  your  hook,  and  so  fish  with 
it.  And  if  you  mean  to  fish  with  two  worms,  then  put  the  second 
on  before  you  turn  back  the  hook's  head  of  the  first  worm  ;  you 
cannot  lose  above  two  or  three  worms  before  you  attain  to 
what  I  direct  you ;  and  having  attained  it,  you  will  find  it  very 
useful,  and  thank  me  for  it ;  for  you  will  run  on  the  ground 
without  'tangling. 

Now  for  the  Minnow  or  Penk ;  he  is  not  easily  found  and 
caught  till  March,  or  in  April,  for  then  he  appears  first  in  the 
river,  nature  having  taught  him  to  shelter  and  hide  himself  in 
the  Winter  in  ditches  that  be  near  to  the  river,  and  there  both 
to  hide  and  keep  himself  warm  in  the  mud  or  in  the  weeds, 
which  rot  not  so  soon  as  in  a  running  river,  in  which  place  if 
he  were  in  Winter,  the  distempered  floods  that  are  usually  in 
that  season,  would  suffer  him  to  take  no  rest,  but  carry  him 
headlong  to  mills  and  wears  to  his  confusion.  And  of  these 
Minnows,  first  you  are  to  know,  that  the  biggest  size  is  not 
the  best ;  and  next,  that  the  middle  size  and  the  whitest  are 
the  best :  and  then  you  are  to  know,  that  your  Minnow  must 
be  so  put  on  your  hook,  that  it  must  turn  round  when  'tis 
drawn  against  the  stream,  and  that  it  may  turn  nimbly,  you 
must  put  it  on  a  big-sized  hook  as  I  shall  now  direct  you,  which 
is  thus.  Put  your  hook  in  at  his  mouth  and  out  at  his  gill,  then 
having  drawn  your  hook  two  or  three  inches  beyond  or  through 
his  gill,  put  it  again  into  his  mouth,  and  the  point  and  beard 
out  at  his  tail,  and  then  tie  the  hook  and  his  tail  about  very 
neatly  with  a  white  thread,  which  will  make  it  the  apter  to  turn 
quick  in  the  water :  that  done,  pull  back  that  part  of  your  line 
which  was  slack  when  you  did  put  your  hook  into  the  Minnow 

6i 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

the  second  time :  I  say  pull  that  part  of  your  line  back  so  that 
it  shall  fasten  the  head,  so  that  the  body  of  the  Minnow  shall 
be  almost  straight  on  your  hook  ;  this  done,  try  how  it  will  turn 
by  drawing  it  cross  the  water  or  against  a  stream,  and  if  it  do 
not  turn  nimbly,  then  turn  the  tail  a  little  to  the  right  or  left 
hand,  and  try  again,  till  it  turn  quick ;  for  if  not,  you  are  in 
danger  to  catch  nothing ;  for  know,  that  it  is  impossible  that  it 
should  turn  too  quick :  and  you  are  yet  to  know,  that  in  case 
you  want  a  Minnow,  then  a  small  Loach  or  a  Stickle-bag,  or 
any  other  small  fish  that  will  turn  quick,  will  serve  as  well : 
and  you  are  yet  to  know,  that  you  may  salt  them,  and  by  that 
means  keep  them  ready  and  fit  for  use  three  or  four  days,  or 
longer ;  and  that  of  salt,  bay-salt  is  the  best. 

And  here  let  me  tell  you,  what  many  old  Anglers  know 
right  well,  that  at  some  times,  and  in  some  waters,  a  Minnow 
is  not  to  be  got,  and  therefore  let  me  tell  you,  I  have, — which 
I  will  shew  to  you, — an  artificial  Minnow,  that  will  catch  a  Trout 
as  well  as  an  artificial  Fly,  and  it  was  made  by  a  handsome 
woman  that  had  a  fine  hand,  and  a  live  Minnow  lying  by  her : 
the  mould  or  body  of  the  Minnow  was  cloth,  and  wrought  upon 
or  over  it  thus  with  a  needle :  the  back  of  it  with  very  sad 
French  green  silk,  and  paler  green  silk  towards  the  belly, 
shadowed  as  perfectly  as  you  can  imagine,  just  as  you  see  a 
Minnow ;  the  belly  was  wrought  also  with  a  needle,  and  it  was 
a  part  of  it  white  silk,  and  another  part  of  it  with  silver  thread  ; 
the  tail  and  fins  were  of  a  quill,  which  was  shaven  thin ;  the 
eyes  were  of  two  little  black  beads,  and  the  head  was  so 
shadowed,  and  all  of  it  so  curiously  wrought,  and  so  exactly 
dissembled,  that  it  would  beguile  any  sharp-sighted  Trout  in 
a  swift  stream.  And  this  Minnow  I  will  now  shew  you ;  look, 
here  it  is :  and  if  you  like  it,  lend  it  you,  to  have  two  or  three 
made  by  it,  for  they  be  easily  carried  about  an  Angler,  and  be 
of  excellent  use ;  for  note,  that  a  large  Trout  will  come  as 
fiercely  at  a  Minnow,  as  the  highest  mettled  hawk  doth  seize 
on  a  partridge,  or  a  greyhound  on  a  hare.  I  have  been  told, 
that  i6o  Minnows  have  been  found  in  a  Trout's  belly ;  either 
the  Trout  had  devoured  so  many,  or  the  Miller  that  gave  it 
a  friend  of  mine,  had  forced  them  down  his  throat  after  he  had 
taken  him. 
62 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE   TROUT 

Now  for  Flies,  which  are  the  third  bait  wherewith  Trouts 
are  usually  taken.  You  are  to  know,  that  there  are  so  many 
sorts  of  flies  as  there  be  of  fruits :  I  will  name  you  but  some 
of  them,  as  the  Dun- fly,  the  Stone-fly,  the  Red-fly,  the  Moor- 
fly,  the  Tawny-fly,  the  Shell-fly,  the  Cloudy  or  Blackish-fly, 
the  Flag-fly,  the  Vine-fly :  there  be  of  flies,  Caterpillars,  and 
Canker- flies,  and  Bear-flies,  and  indeed  too  many  either  for  me 
to  name  or  for  you  to  remember :  and  their  breeding  is  so  various 
and  wonderful,  that  I  might  easily  amaze  myself,  and  tire  you 
in  a  relation  of  them. 

And  yet  I  will  exercise  your  promised  patience  by  saying 
a  little  of  the  Caterpillar,  or  the  Palmer-fly  or  worm,  that  by 
them  you  may  guess,  what  a  work  it  were  in  a  discourse  but 
to  run  over  those  very  many  flies,  worms,  and  little  living 
creatures  with  which  the  Sun  and  Summer  adorn  and  beautify 
the  river  banks  and  meadows,  both  for  the  recreation  and  con- 
templation of  us  Anglers  ;  pleasures  which,  I  think,  myself  enjoy 
more  than  any  other  man  that  is  not  of  my  profession. 

Pliny  holds  an  opinion,  that  many  have  their  birth  or  being 
from  a  dew,  that  in  the  Spring  falls  upon  the  leaves  of  trees ; 
and  that  some  kinds  of  them  are  from  a  dew  left  upon  herbs 
or  flowers ;  and  others  from  a  dew  left  upon  coleworts  or 
cabbages :  all  which  kinds  of  dews  being  thickened  and  con- 
densed, are  by  the  Sun's  generative  heat  most  of  them  hatched, 
and  in  three  days  made  living  creatures ;  and  these  of  several 
shapes  and  colours ;  some  being  hard  and  tough,  some  smooth 
and  soft ;  some  are  horned  in  their  head,  some  in  their  tail, 
some  have  none :  some  have  hair,  some  none :  some  have  six- 
teen feet,  some  less,  and  some  have  none;  but,  as  in  his 'History 
our  Topsel  hath,  with  great  diligence,  observed,  of  serpents.* 
those  which  have  none,  move  upon  the  earth,  or  upon  broad 
leaves,  their  motion  being  not  unlike  to  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
Some  of  them  he  also  observes  to  be  bred  of  the  eggs  of  other 
caterpillars,  and  that  those  in  their  time,  turn  to  be  butterflies : 
and  again,  that  their  eggs  turn  the  following  year  to  be  cater- 
pillars. And  some  affirm,  that  every  plant  has  his  particular  fly 
or  caterpillar,  which  it  breeds  and  feeds.  I  have  seen,  and  may 
therefore  affirm  it,  a  green  caterpillar,  or  worm,  as  big  as  a 
small  peascod,  which  had  fourteen  legs,  eight  on  the  belly,  four 

K  63 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

under  the  neck,  and  two  near  the  tail.  It  was  found  on  a  hedge 
of  privet,  and  was  taken  thence,  and  put  into  a  large  box,  and 
a  little  branch  or  two  of  privet  put  to  it,  on  which  I  saw  it  feed 
as  sharply  as  a  dog  gnaws  a  bone :  it  lived  thus  five  or  six 
days,  and  thrived,  and  changed  the  colour  two  or  three  times, 
but  by  some  neglect  in  the  keeper  of  it,  it  then  died  and  did 
not  turn  to  a  fly :  but  if  it  had  lived,  it  had  doubtless  turned  to 
one  of  those  flies  that  some  call  flies  of  prey,  which  those  that 
walk  by  the  rivers,  may  in  Summer  see  fasten  on  smaller  flies, 
and  I  think  make  them  their  food.  And  'tis  observable,  that  as 
there  be  these  flies  of  prey  which  be  very  large,  so  there  be 
others  very  little,  created,  I  think,  only  to  feed  them,  and  breed 
out  of  I  know  not  what ;  whose  life,  they  say,  Nature  intended 
not  to  exceed  an  hour,  and  yet  that  life  is  thus  made  shorter  by 
other  flies,  or  accident. 

'Tis  endless  to  tell  you  what  the  curious  searchers  into 
Nature's  productions  have  observed  of  these  worms  and  flies : 
but  yet  I  shall  tell  you  what  Aldrovandus,  our  Topsel,  and  others 
say  of  the  Palmer-worm  or  Caterpillar  ;  that  whereas  others 
content  themselves  to  feed  on  particular  herbs  or  leaves, — for 
most  think  those  very  leaves  that  gave  them  life  and  shape, 
give  them  a  particular  feeding  and  nourishment,  and  that  upon 
them  they  usually  abide  ; — yet  he  observes,  that  this  is  called  a 
Pilgrim  or  Palmer-worm,  for  his  very  wandering  life  and  various 
food  ;  not  contenting  himself,  as  others  do,  with  any  one  certain 
place  for  his  abode,  nor  any  certain  kind  of  herbs  or  flowers 
for  his  feeding ;  but  will  boldly  and  disorderly  wander  up  and 
down,  and  not  endure  to  be  kept  to  a  diet,  or  fixed  to  a  par- 
ticular place. 

Nay,  the  very  colours  of  caterpillars  are,  as  one  has  observed, 
very  elegant  and  beautiful ;  I  shall,  for  a  taste  of  the  rest, 
describe  one  of  them,  which  I  will  sometime  the  next  month 
shew  you  feeding  on  a  Willow-tree,  and  you  shall  find  him 
punctually  to  answer  this  very  description ;  his  lips  and  mouth 
somewhat  yellow,  his  eyes  black  as  jet,  his  forehead  purple,  his 
feet  and  hinder  parts  green,  his  tail  two  forked  and  black,  the 
whole  body  stained  with  a  kind  of  red  spots  which  run  along 
the  neck  and  shoulder-blade,  not  unlike  the  form  of  Saint 
Andrew's  cross,  or  the  letter  X,  made  thus  cross-wise,  and  a 
64 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

white  line  drawn  down  his  back  to  his  tail ;  all  which  add  much 
beauty  to  his  whole  body.    And  it  is  to  me  observable,  that  at 
a  fixed  age  this  caterpillar  gives  over  to  eat,  and  towards  Winter 
comes  to  be  covered  over  with  a  strange  shell  or    view  sir  Fra. 
crust,  called  an  Aurelia,  and  so  lives  a  kind  of  dead    Bacon  Exper. 

,,-        '   .    .  .  «i    i,        -r-ri-     ,  1  i«  728  and  29, 

hfe,  without  eatmg  all  the  Wmter;  and,  as  others    in  his  •  Natural 
of  several  kinds  turn  to  be  several  kinds  of  flies    History.' 
and  vermin  the  Spring  following,  so  this  caterpillar  then  turns 
to  be  a  painted  butterfly. 

Come,  come  my  Scholar,  you  see  the  river  stops  our  morning 
walk,  and  I  will  also  here  stop  my  discourse,  only  as  we  sit 
down  under  this  honeysuckle  hedge,  whilst  I  look  a  line  to  fit 
the  rod  that  our  brother  Peter  hath  lent  you,  I  shall,  for  a 
little  confirmation  of  what  I  have  said,  repeat  the  observation 
of  Du  Bartas. 

God,  not  contented  to  each  kind  to  give,  6.  Day  of 

And  to  infuse  the  virtue  generative,  Du  Bartas. 

By  his  wise  power  made  many  creatures  breed 
Of  lifeless  bodies  without  Venus'  deed. 

So  the  cold  humour,  breeds  the  Salamander, 
Who,  in  effect,  like  to  her  birth's  commander. 
With  child  with  hundred  winters,  with  her  touch, 
Quencheth  the  fire  though  glowing  ne'er  so  much. 

So  in  the  fire  in  burning  furnace  springs 
The  Fly  Perausta  with  the  flaming  wings; 
Without  the  fire  it  dies,  in  it  it  joys, 
Living  in  that  which  all  things  else  destroys. 

So,  slow  Bootes  underneath  him  sees  ViewGerh. 

In  th'  icy  islands  goslings  hatch'd  of  trees.  Herbal  and 

Whose  fruitful  leaves  falling  into  the  water,  Camden. 
Are  turn'd,  'tis  known,  to  living  fowls  soon  after. 

So  rotten  planks  of  broken  ships  do  change 
To  Barnacles.    O  transformation  strange  I 
'Twas  first  a  green  tree,  then  a  broken  hull. 
Lately  a  mushroom,  now  a  flying  Gull. 

Ven.  O  my  good  Master,  this  morning-walk  has  been 
spent  to  my  great  pleasure  and  wonder :  but  I  pray,  when  shall 
I  have  your  direction  how  to  make  Artificial  Flies,  like  to  those 
that  the  Trout  loves  best?  and  also  how  to  use  them? 

65 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

Pisc.  My  honest  Scholar,  it  is  now  past  five  of  the  clock, 
we  will  fish  till  nine,  and  then  go  to  breakfast  ?  go  you  to  yonder 
sycamore-tree,  and  hide  your  bottle  of  drink  under  the  hollow 
root  of  it :  for  about  that  time,  and  in  that  place,  we  will  make 
a  brave  breakfast  with  a  piece  of  powdered  beef,  and  a  radish 
or  two  that  I  have  in  my  fish-bag ;  we  shall,  I  warrant  you, 
make  a  good,  honest,  wholesome,  hungry  breakfast,  and  I  will 
then  give  you  direction  for  the  making  and  using  of  your  flies : 
and  in  the  mean  time  there  is  your  rod  and  line,  and  my  advice 
is,  that  you  fish  as  you  see  me  do,  and  let 's  try  which  can  catch 
the  first  fish. 

Ven.  I  thank  you.  Master,  I  will  observe  and  practise  your 
directions,  as  far  as  I  am  able. 

Pisc.  Look  you.  Scholar,  you  see  I  have  hold  of  a  good 
fish :  I  now  see  it  is  a  Trout,  I  pray  put  that  net  under  him, 
and  touch  not  my  line,  for  if  you  do,  then  we  break  all.  Well 
done  Scholar,  I  thank  you. 

Now  for  another.  Trust  me  I  have  another  bite :  come 
Scholar,  come  lay  down  your  rod,  and  help  me  to  land  this  as 
you  did  the  other.  So,  now  we  shall  be  sure  to  have  a  good 
dish  of  fish  to  supper. 

Ven.  I  am  glad  of  that ;  but  I  have  no  fortune :  sure, 
Master,  your's  is  a  better  rod,  and  better  tackling. 

Pisc.  Nay,  then  take  mine,  and  I  will  fish  with  your's. 
Look  you.  Scholar,  I  have  another ;  come,  do  as  you  did  before. 
And  now  I  have  a  bite  at  another :  Oh  me !  he  has  broke  all ; 
there 's  half  a  line  and  a  good  hook  lost. 

Ven.    Ay,  and  a  good  Trout  too. 

Pisc.  Nay,  the  Trout  is  not  lost,  for  pray  take  notice,  no 
man  can  lose  what  he  never  had. 

Ven.  Master,  I  can  neither  catch  with  the  first  nor  second 
angle  :  I  have  no  fortune. 

Pisc.  Look  you.  Scholar,  I  have  yet  another :  and  now 
having  caught  three  brace  of  Trouts,  I  will  tell  you  a  short  tale 
as  we  walk  towards  our  breakfast :  a  scholar,  a  preacher  I 
should  say,  that  was  to  preach  to  procure  the  approbation  of  a 
parish,  that  he  might  be  their  lecturer,  had  got  from  his  fellow- 
pupil  the  copy  of  a  sermon  that  was  first  preached  with  great 
commendation    by    him    that    composed    it ;    and    though    the 

66 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE  TROUT 

borrower  of  it  preached  it  word  for  word,  as  it  was  at  first,  yet 
it  was  utterly  disliked  as  it  was  preached  by  the  second  to  his 
congregation  :  which  the  sermon-borrower  complained  of  to  the 
lender  of  it,  and  was  thus  answered ;  *  I  lent  you  indeed  my 
fiddle,  but  not  my  fiddlestick ' ;  for  you  are  to  know,  that  every 
one  cannot  make  music  with  my  words,  which  are  fitted  for 
my  own  mouth.  And  so,  my  Scholar,  you  are  to  know,  that  as 
the  ill  pronunciation  or  ill  accenting  of  words  in  a  sermon  spoils 
it,  so  the  ill  carriage  of  your  line,  or  not  fishing  even  to  a  foot 
in  a  right  place,  makes  you  lose  your  labour :  and  you  are  to 
know,  that  though  you  have  my  fiddle,  that  is,  my  very  rod  and 
tacklings  with  which  you  see  I  catch  fish,  yet  you  have  not  my 
fiddlestick ;  that  is,  you  yet  have  not  skill  to  know  how  to 
carry  your  hand  and  line,  nor  how  to  guide  it  to  a  right  place : 
and  this  must  be  taught  you, — for  you  are  to  remember  I  told 
you  Angling  is  an  art, — either  by  practice,  or  a  long  observation, 
or  both.  But  take  this  for  a  rule,  when  you  fish  for  a  Trout 
with  a  worm,  let  your  line  have  so  much,  and  not  more  lead 
than  will  fit  the  stream  in  which  you  fish ;  that  is  to  say,  more 
in  a  great  troublesome  stream  than  in  a  smaller  that  is  quieter ; 
as  near  as  may  be,  so  much  as  will  sink  the  bait  to  the  bottom, 
and  keep  it  still  in  motion;  and  not  more. 

But  now  let 's  say  grace  and  fall  to  breakfast :  what  say 
you,  Scholar,  to  the  providence  of  an  old  Angler?  Does  not 
this  meat  taste  well  ?  and  was  not  this  place  well  chosen  to  eat 
it?  for  this  sycamore-tree  will  shade  us  from  the  sun's  heat. 

Ven.  All  excellent  good,  and  my  stomach  excellent  good 
too.  And  now  I  remember  and  find  that  true  which  devout 
Lessius  says,  *that  poor  men,  and  those  that  fast  often,  have 
much  more  pleasure  in  eating  than  rich  men  and  gluttons,  that 
always  feed  before  their  stomachs  are  empty  of  their  last  meat, 
and  call  for  more :  for  by  that  means  they  rob  themselves  of 
that  pleasure  that  hunger  brings  to  poor  men.*  And  I  do 
seriously  approve  of  that  saying  of  your's,  *  that  you  would  rather 
be  a  civil,  well-governed,  well-grounded,  temperate,  poor  Angler, 
than  a  drunken  Lord.*  But  I  hope  there  is  none  such  ;  however, 
I  am  certain  of  this,  that  I  have  been  at  many  very  costly  dinners 
that  have  not  afforded  me  half  the  content  that  this  has  done, 
for  which  I  thank  God  and  you. 

^7 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

And  now,  good  Master,  proceed  to  your  promised  direction 
for  making  and  ordering  my  artificial  fly. 

Pisc.  My  honest  Scholar,  I  will  do  it,  for  it  is  a  debt  due 
unto  you  by  my  promise ;  and  because  you  shall  not  think 
yourself  more  engaged  to  me  than  indeed  you  really  are,  I  will 
freely  give  you  such  directions  as  were  lately  given  to  me  by 
an  ingenuous  Brother  of  the  Angle,  an  honest  man,  and  a  most 
excellent  fly-fisher. 

You  are  to  note,  that  there  are  twelve  kinds  of  artificial 
made-flies  to  angle  with  upon  the  top  of  the  water :  note  by 
the  way,  that  the  fittest  season  of  using  these,  is  a  blustering 
windy  day,  when  the  waters  are  so  troubled  that  the  natural  fly 
cannot  be  seen,  or  rest  upon  them.  The  first  is  the  Dun-fly  in 
March,  the  body  is  made  of  dun  wool,  the  wings  of  the  partridge's 
feathers.  The  second  is  another  Dun-fly,  the  body  of  black 
wool,  and  the  wings  made  of  the  black-drake's  feathers,  and  of 
the  feathers  under  his  tail.  The  third  is  the  Stone-fly  in  April, 
the  body  is  made  of  black  wool,  made  yellow  under  the  wings, 
and  under  the  tail,  and  so  made  with  wings  of  the  drake.  The 
fourth  is  the  Ruddy-fly  in  the  beginning  of  May,  the  body  made 
of  red  wool  wrapt  about  with  black  silk,  and  the  feathers  are 
the  wings  of  the  drake ;  with  the  feathers  of  a  red  capon  also, 
which  hang  danghng  on  his  sides  next  to  the  tail.  The  fifth  is 
the  Yellow  or  Greenish-fly,  in  May  likewise,  the  body  made  of 
yellow  wool,  and  the  wings  made  of  the  red  cock's  hackle  or 
tail.  The  sixth  is  the  Black-fly,  in  May  also,  the  body  made  of 
black  wool,  and  lapped  about  with  the  herl  of  a  peacock's  tail ; 
the  wings  are  made  of  the  wings  of  a  brown  capon  with  his 
blue  feathers  in  his  head.  The  seventh  is  the  Sad-yellow-fly  in 
June,  the  body  is  made  of  black  wool,  with  a  yellow  list  on 
either  side,  and  the  wings  taken  off"  the  wings  of  a  buzzard, 
bound  with  black  braked  hemp.  The  eighth  is  the  Moorish-fly, 
made  with  the  body  of  duskish  wool,  and  the  wings  made  of 
the  blackish  mail  of  the  drake.  The  ninth  is  the  Tawny-fly, 
good  until  the  middle  of  June ;  the  body  made  of  tawny  wool, 
the  wings  made  contrary  one  against  the  other,  made  of  the 
whitish  mail  of  the  wild-drake.  The  tenth  is  the  Wasp-fly,  in 
July,  the  body  made  of  black  wool,  lapped  about  with  yellow  silk, 
the  wings  made  of  the  feathers  of  the  drake,  or  of  the  buzzard, 
68 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE  TROUT 

The  eleventh  is  the  Shell-fly,  good  in  mid  July,  the  body  made 
of  greenish  wool,  lapped  about  with  the  herl  of  a  peacock's  tail ; 
and  the  wings  made  of  the  wings  of  the  buzzard.  The  twelfth 
is  the  Dark- Drake-fly,  good  in  August,  the  body  made  with 
black  wool,  lapped  about  with  black  silk ;  his  wings  are  made 
with  the  mail  of  the  black-drake,  with  a  black  head.  Thus  have 
you  a  jury  of  flies  likely  to  betray  and  condemn  all  the  Trouts 
in  the  river. 

I  shall  next  give  you  some  other  directions  for  fly-fishing, 
such  as  are  given  by  Mr.  Thomas  Barker,  a  gentleman  that 
hath  spent  much  time  in  fishing :  but  I  shall  do  it  with  a  little 
variation. 

First,  let  your  rod  be  light,  and  very  gentle,  I  take  the 
best  to  be  of  two  pieces  ;  and  let  not  your  line  exceed, — especi- 
ally for  three  or  four  links  next  to  the  hook, — I  say,  not  exceed 
three  or  four  hairs  at  the  most,  though  you  may  fish  a  little 
stronger  above  in  the  upper  part  of  your  line :  but  if  you  can 
attain  to  angle  with  one  hair,  you  shall  have  more  rises  and 
catch  more  fish.  Now  you  must  be  sure  not  to  cumber  yourself 
with  too  long  a  line,  as  most  do :  and  before  you  begin  to  angle, 
cast  to  have  the  wind  on  your  back,  and  the  sun,  if  it  shines, 
to  be  before  you,  and  to  fish  down  the  stream ;  and  carry  the 
point  or  top  of  your  rod  downward,  by  which  means  the  shadow 
of  yourself,  and  rod  too  will  be  the  least  offensive  to  the  fish, 
for  the  sight  of  any  shade  amazes  the  fish,  and  spoils  your  sport, 
of  which  you  must  take  a  great  care. 

In  the  middle  of  March,  till  which  time  a  man  should  not 
in  honesty  catch  a  Trout,  or  in  April,  if  the  weather  be  dark, 
or  a  little  windy  or  cloudy,  the  best  fishing  is  with  the  Palmer- 
worm,  of  which  I  last  spoke  to  you,  but  of  these  there  be  divers 
kinds,  or  at  least  of  divers  colours ;  these  and  the  May-fly  are 
the  ground  of  all  fly-angling,  which  are  to  be  thus  made. 

First,  you  must  arm  your  hook  with  the  line  in  the  inside 
of  it,  then  take  your  scissars,  and  cut  so  much  of  a  brown 
mallard's  feather,  as  in  your  own  reason  will  make  the  wings 
of  it,  you  having  withal  regard  to  the  bigness  or  littleness  of 
your  hook ;  then  lay  the  outmost  part  of  your  feather  next 
to  your  hook,  then  the  point  of  your  feather  next  the  shank  of 
your  hook ;  and  having  so  done,  whip  it  three  or  four  times 

69 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

about  the  hook  with  the  same  silk  with  which  your  hook  was 
armed,  and  having  made  the  silk  fast,  take  the  hackle  of  a 
cock  or  capon's  neck,  or  a  plover's  top,  which  is  usually  better : 
take  off  the  one  side  of  the  feather,  and  then  take  the  hackle, 
silk,  or  crewel,  gold  or  silver  thread,  make  these  fast  at  the 
bent  of  the  hook,  that  is  to  say,  below  your  arming ;  then  you 
must  take  the  hackle,  the  silver  or  gold  thread,  and  work  it  up 
to  the  wings,  shifting  or  still  removing  your  finger,  as  you  turn 
the  silk  about  the  hook  :  and  still  looking  at  every  stop  or  turn, 
that  your  gold,  or  what  materials  soever  you  make  your  fly  of, 
do  lie  right  and  neatly,  and  if  you  find  they  do  so,  then,  when 
you  have  made  the  head,  make  all  fast :  and  then  work  your 
hackle  up  to  the  head,  and  make  that  fast :  and  then  with  a 
needle  or  pin  divide  the  wing  into  two,  and  then  with  the  arming 
silk  whip  it  about  cross-ways  betwixt  the  wings,  and  then  with 
your  thumb  you  must  turn  the  point  of  the  feather  towards  the 
bent  of  the  hook,  and  then  work  three  or  four  times  about  the 
shank  of  the  hook,  and  then  view  the  proportion,  and  if  all  be 
neat  and  to  your  liking,  fasten. 

I  confess,  no  direction  can  be  given  to  make  a  man  of  a 
dull  capacity  able  to  make  a  fly  well :  and  yet  I  know,  this 
with  a  little  practice,  will  help  an  ingenious  Angler  in  a  good 
degree :  but  to  see  a  fly  made  by  an  artist  in  that  kind,  is  the 
best  teaching  to  make  it ;  and  then  an  ingenious  Angler  may 
walk  by  the  river  and  mark  what  flies  fall  on  the  water  that 
day,  and  catch  one  of  them,  if  he  see  the  Trouts  leap  at  a  fly 
of  that  kind :  and  then  having  always  hooks  ready  hung  with 
him,  and  having  a  bag  also  always  with  him,  with  bear's  hair,  or 
the  hair  of  a  brown  or  sad-coloured  heifer,  hackles  of  a  cock  or 
a  capon,  several  coloured  silk  and  crewel  to  make  the  body  of 
the  fly,  the  feathers  of  a  drake's  head,  black  or  brown  sheep's 
wool,  or  hog's  wool,  or  hair,  thread  of  gold  and  of  silver :  silk 
of  several  colours,  especially  sad-coloured,  to  make  the  fly's 
head ;  and  there  be  also  other  coloured  feathers  both  of  little 
birds  and  of  speckled  fowl.  I  say,  having  those  with  him  in  a 
bag,  and  trying  to  make  a  fly,  though  he  miss  at  first,  yet  shall 
he  at  last  hit  it  better,  even  to  such  a  perfection,  as  none  can 
well  teach  him ;  and  if  he  hit  to  make  his  fly  right,  and  have 
the  luck  to  hit  also  where  there  is  store  of  Trouts,  a  dark  day, 
70 


And  then  an  ingenious  Angler  may  walk  by  the  river 
and  mark  what  flies  fall  on  the  water  that  day. 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

and  a  right  wind,  he  will  catch  such  store  of  them,  as  will 
encourage  him  to  grow  more  and  more  in  love  with  the  art  of 
fly-making. 

Ven.  But,  my  loving  Master,  if  any  wind  will  not  serve, 
then  I  wish  I  were  in  Lapland,  to  buy  a  good  wind  of  one  of 
the  honest  witches,  that  sell  so  many  winds  there,  and  so 
cheap. 

Pisc.  Marry,  Scholar,  but  I  would  not  be  there,  nor  indeed 
from  under  this  tree :  for  look  how  it  begins  to  rain,  and  by  the 
clouds,  if  I  mistake  not,  we  shall  presently  have  a  smoking 
shower,  and  therefore  sit  close ;  this  sycamore-tree  will  shelter 
us :  and  I  will  tell  you,  as  they  shall  come  into  my  mind,  more 
observations  of  fly-fishing  for  a  Trout. 

But  first  for  the  wind,  you  are  to  take  notice,  that  of  the 
winds  the  South  wind  is  said  to  be  best 

One  observes,  that 

When  the  wind  is  South, 
It  blows  your  bait  into  a  fish's  mouth. 

Next  to  that,  the  West  wind  is  believed  to  be  the  best : 
and  having  told  you  that  the  East  wind  is  the  worst,  I  need 
not  tell  you  which  wind  is  the  best  in  the  third  degree  ;  and  yet 
as  Solomon  observes,  Eccles.  zi.  4.,  that  *  he  that  considers  the 
wind  shall  never  sow ' :  so  he  that  busies  his  head  too  much 
about  them,  if  the  weather  be  not  made  extreme  cold  by  an 
East  wind,  shall  be  a  little  superstitious :  for  as  it  is  observed 
by  some,  that  there  is  no  good  horse  of  a  bad  colour ;  so  I  have 
observed  that  if  it  be  a  cloudy  day,  and  not  extreme  cold,  let 
the  wind  sit  in  what  corner  it  will,  and  do  it's  worst,  I  heed  it 
not.  And  yet  take  this  for  a  rule,  that  I  would  willingly  fish 
standing  on  the  lee-shore :  and  you  are  to  take  notice,  that  the 
fish  lies  or  swims  nearer  the  bottom,  and  in  deeper  water  in 
Winter  than  in  Summer ;  and  also  nearer  the  bottom  in  a  cold 
day,  and  then  gets  nearest  the  lee-side  of  the  water. 

But  I  promised  to  tell  you  more  of  the  fly-fishing  for  a 
Trout,  which  I  may  have  time  enough  to  do,  for  you  see  it  rains 
May-butter :  first  for  a  May-fly,  you  may  make  his  body  with 
greenish-coloured  crewel,  or  willowish-colour ;  darkening  it  in 
most  places  with  waxed  silk,  or  ribbed  with  black  hair,  or  some 

71 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

of  them  ribbed  with  silver  thread  ;  and  such  wings  for  the  colour 
as  you  see  the  fly  to  have  at  that  season  ;  nay,  at  that  very  day 
on  the  water.  Or  you  may  make  the  Oak-fly  with  an  orange- 
tawny  and  black  ground,  and  the  brown  of  a  mallard's  feather 
for  the  wings ;  and  you  are  to  know,  that  these  two  are  most 
excellent  flies,  that  is,  the  May-fly  and  the  Oak-fly.  And  let 
me  again  tell  you  that  you  keep  as  far  from  the  water  as  you 
can  possibly,  whether  you  fish  with  a  fly  or  worm,  and  fish 
down  the  stream  ;  and  when  you  fish  with  a  fly,  if  it  be  possible, 
let  no  part  of  your  line  touch  the  water,  but  your  fly  only ;  and 
be  still  moving  your  fly  upon  the  water,  or  casting  it  into  the 
water,  you  yourself  being  also  always  moving  down  the  stream. 
Mr.  Barker  commends  several  sorts  of  the  Palmer-flies,  not  only 
those  ribbed  with  silver  and  gold,  but  others  that  have  their 
bodies  all  made  of  black,  or  some  with  red,  and  a  red  hackle ; 
you  may  also  make  the  Hawthorn-fly,  which  is  all  black,  and 
not  big,  but  very  small,  the  smaller  the  better ;  or  the  Oak-fly, 
the  body  of  which  is  orange-colour  and  black  crewel,  with  a 
brown  wing,  or  a  fly  made  with  a  Peacock's  feather,  is  excellent 
in  a  bright  day :  You  must  be  sure  you  want  not  in  your 
Magazine-bag  the  peacock's  feather,  and  grounds  of  such  wool 
and  crewel  as  will  make  the  Grashopper ;  and  note,  that  usually 
the  smallest  flies  are  the  best ;  and  note  also,  that  the  light  fly 
does  usually  make  most  sport  in  a  dark  day,  and  the  darkest 
and  least  fly  in  a  bright  or  clear  day ;  and  lastly  note,  that  you 
are  to  repair  upon  any  occasion  to  your  Magazine-bag,  and  upon 
any  occasion  vary,  and  make  them  lighter  or  sadder  according 
to  your  fancy  or  the  day. 

And  now  I  shall  tell  you,  that  the  fishing  with  a  natural 
fly  is  excellent,  and  affords  much  pleasure ;  they  may  be  found 
thus,  the  May-fly  usually  in  and  about  that  month  near  to  the 
river  side,  especially  against  rain ;  the  Oak-fly  on  the  butt  or 
body  of  an  Oak  or  Ash,  from  the  beginning  of  May  to  the 
end  of  August ;  it  is  a  brownish  fly,  and  easy  to  be  so  found, 
and  stands  usually  with  his  head  downward,  that  is  to  say, 
towards  the  root  of  the  tree ;  the  small  black  fly,  or  Hawthorn- 
fly,  is  to  be  had  on  any  hawthorn  bush  after  the  leaves  be 
come  forth :  with  these  and  a  short  line,  as  I  shewed  to  Angle 
for  a  Chub,  you  may  dape  or  dop,  and  also  with  a  Gras- 
72 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE   TROUT 

hopper  behind  a  tree,  or  *  in  any  deep  hole,  still  making  it  to 
move  on  the  top  of  the  water,  as  if  it  were  alive,  and  still 
keeping  yourself  out  of  sight,  you  shall  certainly  have  sport 
if  there  be  Trouts;  yea,  in  a  hot  day,  but  especially  in  the 
evening  of  a  hot  day,  you  will  have  sport. 

And  now.  Scholar,  my  direction  for  fly-fishing  is  ended  with 
this  shower,  for  it  has  done  raining;  and  now  look  about  you, 
and  see  how  pleasantly  that  meadow  looks ;  nay,  and  the 
earth  smells  as  sweetly  too.  Come,  let  me  tell  you  what  holy 
Mr.  Herbert  says  of  such  days  and  flowers  as  these,  and  then 
we  will  thank  God  that  we  enjoy  them,  and  walk  to  the  river 
and  sit  down  quietly,  and  try  to  catch  the  other  brace  of 
Trouts, 

Sweet  Day,  so  cool,  so  calm,  so  bright. 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky ; 
Sweet  dews  shall  weep  thy  fall  to  night, — 

for  thou  must  die. 

Sweet  Rose,  whose  hue,  angry  and  brave, 
Bids  the  rash  gazer  wipe  his  eye. 
Thy  root  is  ever  in  it's  grave,— 

and  thou  must  die. 

Sweet  Spring,  full  of  sweet  days  and  roses, 
A  box  where  sweets  compacted  lie; 
My  music  shews  you  have  your  closes, — 

and  all  must  die. 

Only  a  sweet  and  virtuous  soul. 
Like  season'd  timber  never  gives. 
But  when  the  whole  world  turns  to  coal, 

then  chiefly  lives. 

Ven.  I  thank  you,  good  Master,  for  your  good  direction  for 
fly-fishing,  and  for  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  the  pleasant  day, 
which  is  so  far  spent  without  offence  to  God  or  man :  and  I 
thank  you  for  the  sweet  close  of  your  discourse  with  Mr.  Her- 
bert's Verses,  who  I  have  heard  loved  Angling:  and  I  do  the 
rather  believe  it,  because  he  had  a  spirit  suitable  to  Anglers, 
and  to  those  primitive  christians  that  you  love,  and  have  so 
much  commended. 

Pisc.  Well,  my  loving  Scholar,  and  I  am  pleased  to  know 
that  you  are  so  well  pleased  with  my  direction  and  discourse. 

73 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

And  since  you  like  these  verses  of  Mr.  Herbert's  so  well, 
let  me  tell  you  what  a  reverend  and  learned  Divine  that  pro- 
fesses to  imitate  him,  and  has  indeed  done  so  most  excellently, 
hath  writ  of  our  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  which  I  know  you 
will  like  the  better,  because  he  is  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  am 
sure  no  enemy  to  Angling. 

What?  pray'r  by  th'  book?  and  common?    Yes,  why  not? 
The  Spirit  of  Grace 
And  Supplication, 
Is  not  left  free  alone 
For  time  and  place, 
But  manner  too :  to  read  or  speak  by  rote, 
Is  all  alike  to  him,  that  prays 
In 's  heart,  what  with  his  mouth  he  says. 

They  that  in  private  by  themselves  alone 
Do  pray,  may  take 
What  liberty  they  please. 
In  choosing  of  the  ways 
Wherein  to  make 
Their  souls'  most  intimate  affections  known 
To  him  that  sees  in  secret,  when 
Th'  are  most  conceal'd  from  other  men. 

But  he,  that  unto  others  leads  the  way 
In  public  prayer, 
Should  do  it  so 
As  all  that  hear  may  know 
They  need  not  fear 
\  To  tune  their  hearts  unto  his  tongue,  and  say. 

Amen;  not  doubt  they  were  betray'd 
To  blaspheme,  when  they  meant  to  have  pray'd. 

Devotion  will  add  life  unto  the  letter, 

And  why  should  not 
That  which  authority 
Prescribes,  esteemed  be 
Advantage  got? 
If  th'  prayer  be  good,  the  commoner  the  better, 
Prayer  in  the  Church's  words,  as  well 
As  sense,  of  all  prayers  bears  the  bell. 

Ch.  Harvie, 

And  now,  Scholar,  I  think  it  will  be  time  to  repair  to  our 
Angle-rods,  which  we  left  in  the  water,  to  fish  for  themselves, 
74 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

and  you  shall  choose  which  shall  be  yours ;  and  it  is  an  even 
lay,  one  of  them  catches. 

And  let  me  tell  you,  this  kind  of  fishing  with  a  dead-rod,  and 
laying  night  hooks,  are  like  putting  money  to  use,  for  they 
both  work  for  the  owners,  when  they  do  nothing  but  sleep,  or 
eat,  or  rejoice ;  as  you  know  we  have  done  this  last  hour,  and 
sate  as  quietly  and  as  free  from  cares  under  this  Sycamore,  as 
Virgil's  Tityrus  and  his  Meliboeus  did  under  their  broad  Beech- 
tree.  No  life,  my  honest  Scholar,  no  life  so  happy  and  so 
pleasant,  as  the  life  of  a  well-governed  Angler ;  for  when  the 
Lawyer  is  swallowed  up  with  business,  and  the  Statesman  is 
preventing  or  contriving  plots,  then  we  sit  on  cowslip-banks, 
hear  the  birds  sing,  and  possess  ourselves  in  as  much  quietness 
as  these  silent  silver  streams,  which  we  now  see  glide  so 
quietly  by  us.  Indeed,  my  good  Scholar,  we  may  say  of  Angling, 
as  Dr.  Boteler  said  of  Strawberries  ;  *  Doubtless  God  could 
have  made  a  better  berry,  but  doubtless  God  never  did ' :  and  so, 
if  I  might  be  judge,  *  God  never  did  make  a  more  calm,  quiet, 
innocent  recreation,  than  Angling.* 

I  *11  tell  you,  Scholar,  when  I  sat  last  on  this  primrose-bank, 
and  looked  down  these  Meadows,  I  thought  of  them  as  Charles 
the  Emperor  did  of  the  city  of  Florence :  *  That  they  were  too 
pleasant  to  be  looked  on,  but  only  on  holidays  * :  as  I  then  sat 
on  this  very  grass,  I  turned  my  present  thoughts  into  verse: 
'twas  a  wish  which  I  '11  repeat  to  you, 


THE  ANGLER'S  WISH 

I  in  these  flow'ry  meads  would  be: 
These  crystal  streams  should  solace  me; 
To  whose  harmonious  bubbling  noise, 
I  with  my  Angle  would  rejoice, 

Sit  here,  and  see  the  Turtle-dove, 

Court  his  chaste  mate  to  acts  of  love : 

Or  on  that  bank,  feel  the  west  wind 
Breathe  health  and  plenty,  please  my  mind 
To  see  sweet  dew-drops  kiss  these  flowers, 
And  then,  wash'd  off  by  April-showers : 
Here,  hear  my  Kenna  sing  *  a  song,  *  Like  Her- 

There  see  a  black-bird  feed  her  young,  °"*  P®°'"- 

75 


MORE   DIRECTIONS 

Or  a  leverock  build  her  nest; 
Here,  give  my  weary  spirits  rest, 
And  raise  my  low-pitch'd  thoughts  above 
Earth,  or  what  poor  mortals  love: 
Thus  free  from  Law-suits,  and  the  noise 
Of  Princes'  courts,  I  would  rejoice. 

Or,  with  my  Bryan,  and  a  book. 
Loiter  long  days  near  Shawford-brook ; 
There  sit  by  him,  and  eat  my  meat, 
There  see  the  sun  both  rise  and  set : 
There  bid  good  morning  to  next  day, 
There  meditate  my  time  away: 
And  angle  on,  and  beg  to  have 
A  quiet  passage  to  a  welcome  grave. 


When  I  had  ended  this  composure,  I  left  this  place,  and  saw 
a  Brother  of  the  Angle  sit  under  that  honey-suckle-hedge,  one 
that  will  prove  worth  your  acquaintance ;  I  sat  down  by  him,  and 
presently  we  met  with  an  accidental  piece  of  merriment,  which  I 
will  relate  to  you;  for  it  rains  still. 

On  the  other  side  of  this  very  hedge  sat  a  gang  of  Gipsies, 
and  near  to  them  sat  a  gang  of  Beggars :  the  Gipsies  were  then 
to  divide  all  the  money  that  had  been  got  that  week,  either  by 
stealing  linen  or  poultry,  or  by  fortune-telling,  or  legerdemain,  or 
indeed  by  any  other  sleights  and  secrets  belonging  to  their 
mysterious  government.  And  the  sum  that  was  got  that  week 
proved  to  be  but  twenty  and  some  odd  shillings.  The  odd  money 
was  agreed  to  be  distributed  amongst  the  poor  of  their  own  cor- 
poration ;  and  for  the  remaining  twenty  shillings,  that  was  to  be 
divided  unto  four  gentlemen  Gipsies,  according  to  their  several 
degrees  in  their  commonwealth. 

And  the  first  or  chiefest  Gipsy,  was  by  consent  to  have 
a  third  part  of  the  twenty  shillings ;  which  all  men  know  is 
6s.  8d. 

The  second  was  to  have  a  fourth  part  of  the  20s.  which  all 
men  know  to  be  5s. 

The  third  was  to  have  a  fifth  part  of  the  20s.  which  all  men 
know  to  be  4s. 

The  fourth  and  last  Gipsy,  was  to  have  a  sixth  part  of  the 
20s.  which  all  men  know  to  be  3s.  4d. 
76 


HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THE   TROUT 

As  for  example, 

3  times  6s.  8d.  is         .  .  .  .  20s. 

And  so  is  4  times  5s.      .  .  .  .  20s. 

And  so  is  5  times  4s.      .  .  .  .  20s. 

And  so  is  6  times  3s.  4d.  .  .  .  20s. 

And  yet  he  that  divided  the  money  was  so  very  a  Gipsy,  that 
though  he  gave  to  every  one  these  said  sums,  yet  he  kept  one 
shiUing  of  it  for  himself. 


As  for  example, 

s.  d. 

6    8 

. 

5    0 

4    0 

3    4 

make  but 

10    0 

But  now  you  shall  know,  that  when  the  four  Gipsies  saw  that 
he  had  got  one  shilling  by  dividing  the  money,  though  not  one 
of  them  knew  any  reason  to  demand  more,  yet  like  lords  and 
courtiers,  every  Gipsy  envied  him  that  was  the  gainer,  and 
wrangled  with  him,  and  every  one  said  the  remaining  shilling 
belonged  to  him :  and  so  they  fell  to  so  high  a  contest  about  it, 
as  none  that  knows  the  faithfulness  of  one  Gipsy  to  another,  will 
easily  believe ;  only  we  that  have  lived  these  last  twenty  years, 
are  certain  that  money  has  been  able  to  do  much  mischief. 
However  the  Gipsies  were  too  wise  to  go  to  law,  and  did  there- 
fore choose  their  choice  friends  Rook  and  Shark,  and  our  late 
English  Gusman  to  be  their  arbitrators  and  umpires;  and  so 
they  left  this  honey-suckle  hedge,  and  went  to  tell  fortunes,  and 
cheat,  and  get  more  money  and  lodging  in  the  next  village. 

When  these  were  gone,  we  heard  as  high  a  contention 
amongst  the  Beggars,  whether  it  was  easiest  to  rip  a  cloak,  or  to 
unrip  a  cloak  ?  One  Beggar  affirmed  it  was  all  one.  But  that 
was  denied,  by  asking  her,  if  doing  and  undoing  were  all  one  ? 
then  another  said,  'twas  easiest  to  unrip  a  cloak,  for  that  was  to 
let  it  alone.  But  she  was  answered,  by  asking  her,  how  she  un- 
ripped it,  if  she  let  it  alone  ?  and  she  confessed  herself  mistaken. 
These,  and  twenty  such  like  questions  were  proposed,  and 
answered  with  as  much  beggarly  logic  and  earnestness,  as  was 
ever  heard  to  proceed  from  the  mouth  of  the  most  pertinacious 


MORE  DIRECTIONS 

schismatic ;  and  sometimes  all  the  Beggars,  whose  number  was 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  poets'  nine  muses,  talked  all 
together  about  this  ripping  and  unripping,  and  so  loud  that  not 
one  heard  what  the  other  said ;  but  at  last  one  Beggar  craved 
audience,  and  told  them,  that  old  father  Clause,  whom  Ben 
Jonson  in  his  *  Beggar's-bush '  created  King  of  their  corporation, 
was  that  night  to  lodge  at  an  Ale-house,  called  Catch-her-by-the- 
way,  not  far  from  Waltham-cross,  and  in  the  high-road  towards 
London ;  and  he  therefore  desired  them  to  spend  no  more  time 
about  that  and  such  like  questions,  but  to  refer  all  to  father 
Clause  at  night,  for  he  was  an  upright  judge,  and  in  the  mean 
time  draw  cuts  what  song  should  be  next  sung,  and  who  should 
sing  it :  they  all  agreed  to  the  motion,  and  the  lot  fell  to  her  that 
was  the  youngest,  and  veriest  virgin  of  the  company,  and  she 
sung  Frank  Davison's  song,  which  he  made  forty  years  ago,  and 
all  the  others  of  the  company  joined  to  sing  the  burthen  with  her ; 
the  ditty  was  this,  but  first  the  burthen. 

Bright  shines  the  sun,  play  Beggars,  play, 
Here's  scraps  enough  to  serve  to  day. 

What  noise  of  viols  is  so  sweet 

As  when  our  merry  clappers  ring? 

What  mirth  doth  want  when  Beggars  meet? 

A  Beggar's  life  is  for  a  king: 

Eat,  drink,  and  play,  sleep  when  we  list, 

Go  where  we  will, — so  stocks  be  miss'd. 

Bright  shines  the  sun,  play  Beggars,  play, 

Here's  scraps  enough  to  serve  to  day. 

The  world  is  our's  and  cur's  alone, 
For  we  alone  have  world  at  will ; 
We  purchase  not,  all  is  our  own, 
Both  fields  and  streets  we  Beggars  fill : 

Bright  shines  the  sun,  play  Beggars,  play, 

Here's  scraps  enough  to  serve  to  day. 

A  hundred  herds  of  black  and  white 
Upon  our  gowns  securely  feed ; 
And  yet  if  any  dare  us  bite, 
He  dies  therefore  as  sure  as  creed: 
Thus  Beggars  lord  it  as  they  please, 
And  only  Beggars  live  at  ease: 

Bright  shines  the  sun,  play  Beggars,  play, 

Here's  scraps  enough  to  serve  to  day. 

78 


HOW  TO  FISH  FOR  THE  TROUT 

Ven.  I  thank  you,  good  Master,  for  this  piece  of  merriment, 
and  this  song,  which  was  well  humoured  by  the  maker,  and  well 
remembered  by  you. 

Pisc.  But  I  pray  forget  not  the  catch  which  you  promised  to 
make  against  night;  for  our  countryman,  honest  Coridon,  will 
expect  your  catch  and  my  song,  which  I  must  be  forced  to  patch 
up,  for  it  is  so  long  since  I  learned  it,  that  I  have  forgot  a  part  of 
it.  But  come,  now  it  hath  done  raining,  let's  stretch  our  legs 
a  little  in  a  gentle  walk  to  the  river,  and  try  what  interest  our 
Angles  will  pay  us  for  lending  them  so  long  to  be  used  by  the 
Trouts;  lent  them  indeed,  like  usurers,  for  our  profit  and  their 
destruction. 

Ven.  Oh  me!  look  you  Master,  a  fish  a  fish!  Oh,  alas 
Master,  I  have  lost  her! 

Pisc.  Ay  marry.  Sir,  that  was  a  good  fish  indeed :  if  I  had  had 
the  luck  to  have  taken  up  that  rod,  then  'tis  twenty  to  one,  he 
should  not  have  broke  my  line  by  running  to  the  rod's  end  as  you 
suffered  him.  I  would  have  held  him  within  the  bent  of  my  rod, 
unless  he  had  been  fellow  to  the  great  Trout  that  is  near  an  ell 
long,  which  was  of  such  a  length  and  depth,  that  he  had  his 
picture  drawn,  and  now  is  to  be  seen  at  mine  Host  Rickabie's,  at 
the  George  in  Ware ;  and  it  may  be,  by  giving  that  very  great 
Trout  the  rod,  that  is,  by  casting  it  to  him  into  the  water,  I  might 
have  caught  him  at  the  long  run  ;  for  so  I  use  always  to  do  when 
I  meet  with  an  overgrown  fish,  and  you  will  learn  to  do  so  too 
hereafter :  for  I  tell  you.  Scholar,  fishing  is  an  art,  or  at  least,  it 
is  an  art  to  catch  fish. 

Ven.  But  Master,  I  have  heard  that  the  great  Trout  you 
speak  of  is  a  Salmon. 

Pisc.  Trust  me.  Scholar,  I  know  not  what  to  say  to  it. 
There  are  many  country  people  that  believe  Hares  change  sexes 
every  year :  And  there  be  very  many  learned  men  think  so  too, 
for  in  their  dissecting  them  they  find  many  reasons  to  incline 
them  to  that  belief.  And  to  make  the  wonder  seem  yet  less,  that 
Hares  change  sexes,  note,  that  Doctor  Men  Casaubon  affirms  in 
his  book  of  credible  and  incredible  things,  that  Gaspar  Peucerus, 
a  learned  Physician,  tells  us  of  a  people  that  once  a  year 
turn  wolves,  partly  in  shape,  and  partly  in  conditions.  And  so 
whether  this  were  a  Salmon  when  he  came  into  the  fresh  water, 

79 


MORE  DIRECTIONS 

and  his  not  returning  into  the  sea  hath  altered  him  to  another 
colour  or  kind,  I  am  not  able  to  say ;  but  I  am  certain  he  hath 
all  the  signs  of  being  a  Trout  both  for  his  shape,  colour,  and 
spots,  and  yet  many  think  he  is  not. 

Ven.  But  Master,  will  this  Trout  which  I  had  hold  of  die  ? 
for  it  is  like  he  hath  the  hook  in  his  belly. 

Pisc.  I  will  tell  you.  Scholar,  that  unless  the  hook  be  fast  in 
his  very  gorge,  'tis  more  than  probable  he  will  live,  and  a  little 
time  with  the  help  of  the  water,  will  rust  the  hook,  and  it  will  in 
time  wear  away ;  as  the  gravel  doth  in  the  horse-hoof,  which 
only  leaves  a  false  quarter. 

And  now,  Scholar,  let's  go  to  my  rod.  Look  you.  Scholar, 
I  have  a  fish  too,  but  it  proves  a  logger-headed  Chub,  and  this  is 
not  much  amiss,  for  this  will  pleasure  some  poor  body,  as  we  go 
to  our  lodging  to  meet  our  brother  Peter  and  honest  Coridon. 
Come,  now  bait  your  hook  again,  and  lay  it  into  the  water,  for 
it  rains  again ;  and  we  will  ev'n  retire  to  the  sycamore-tree,  and 
there  I  will  give  you  more  directions  concerning  fishing:  for  I 
would  fain  make  you  an  artist. 

Ven.  Yes,  good  Master,  I  pray  let  it  be  so. 

Pisc.  Well,  Scholar,  now  we  are  sat  down  and  are  at  ease, 
I  shall  tell  you  a  little  more  of  Trout-fishing,  before  I  speak  of 
the  Salmon,  which  I  purpose  shall  be  next,  and  then  of  the  Pike 
or  Luce.  You  are  to  know,  there  is  night  as  well  as  day-fishing 
for  a  Trout,  and  that  in  the  night  the  best  Trouts  come  out  of 
their  holes  :  and  the  manner  of  taking  them  is,  on  the  top  of  the 
water  with  a  great  lob  or  garden-worm,  or  rather  two,  which 
you  are  to  fish  with  in  a  place  where  the  waters  run  somewhat 
quietly,  for  in  a  stream  the  bait  will  not  be  so  well  discerned.  I 
say  in  a  quiet  or  dead  place  near  to  some  swift,  there  draw  your 
bait  over  the  top  of  the  water,  to  and  fro,  and  if  there  be  a  good 
Trout  in  the  hole,  he  will  take  it,  especially  if  the  night  be  dark : 
for  then  he  is  bold  and  lies  near  the  top  of  the  water,  watching 
the  motion  of  any  frog  or  water-rat  or  mouse  that  swims  betwixt 
him  and  the  sky ;  these  he  hunts  after,  if  he  sees  the  water  but 
wrinkle,  or  move  in  one  of  these  dead  holes,  where  these  great  old 
Trouts  usually  lie  near  to  their  holds ;  for  you  are  to  note,  that 
the  great  old  Trout  is  both  subtle  and  fearful,  and  lies  close  all 
day,  and  does  not  usually  stir  out  of  his  hold,  but  lies  in  it  as 
80 


»  /^ 


The  great  Trout  that  is  near  an  ell  long,  which  was  of  such 
a  length  and  depth,  that  he  had  his  picture  drawn. 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

close  in  the  day,  as  the  timorous  Hare  does  in  her  form :  for  the 
chief  feeding  of  either  is  seldom  in  the  day,  but  usually  in  the 
night,  and  then  the  great  Trouts  feed  very  boldly. 

And  you  must  fish  for  him  with  a  strong  line,  and  not  a  little 
hook,  and  let  him  have  time  to  gorge  your  hook,  for  he  does  not 
usually  forsake  it,  as  he  oft  will  in  the  day-fishing:  and  if  the 
night  be  not  dark,  then  fish  so  with  an  artificial  fly  of  a  light 
colour,  and  at  the  snap ;  nay,  he  will  sometimes  rise  at  a  dead 
mouse,  or  a  piece  of  cloth,  or  any  thing  that  seems  to  swim  cross 
the  water,  or  to  be  in  motion :  this  is  a  choice  way,  but  I  have 
not  oft  used  it,  because  it  is  void  of  the  pleasures  that  such  days 
as  these,  that  we  two  now  enjoy,  afford  an  Angler. 

And  you  are  to  know,  that  in  Hampshire,  which  I  think  exceeds 
all  England  for  swift,  shallow,  clear,  pleasant  brooks,  and  store 
of  Trouts,  they  use  to  catch  Trouts  in  the  night,  by  the  light  of 
a  torch  or  straw,  which  when  they  have  discovered,  they  strike 
with  a  Trout-spear  or  other  ways.  This  kind  of  way  they  catch 
very  many,  but  I  would  not  believe  it  till  I  was  an  eye-witness  of 
it,  nor  do  I  like  it  now  I  have  seen  it. 

Ven.  But,  Master,  do  not  Trouts  see  us  in  the  night? 

Pisc.  Yes,  and  hear,  and  smell  too,  both  then  and  in  the  day 
time ;  for  Gesner  observes,  the  Otter  smells  a  fish  forty  furlongs 
off  him  in  the  water:  and  that  it  may  be  true,  seems  to  be 
affirmed  by  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  in  the  Eighth  Century  of  his 
'Natural  History,'  who  there  proves  that  waters  may  be  the 
medium  of  sounds,  by  demonstrating  it  thus :  *  That  if  you  knock 
two  stones  together  very  deep  under  the  water,  those  that  stand 
on  a  bank  near  to  that  place,  may  hear  the  noise  without  any 
diminution  of  it  by  the  water.*  He  also  offers  the  like  experiment 
concerning  the  letting  an  anchor  fall  by  a  very  long  cable  or  rope 
on  a  rock,  or  the  sand  within  the  sea:  and  this  being  so  well 
observed  and  demonstrated,  as  it  is  by  that  learned  man,  has 
made  me  to  believe  that  Eels  unbed  themselves,  and  stir  at  the 
noise  of  thunder,  and  not  only,  as  some  think,  by  the  motion  or 
stirring  of  the  earth  which  is  occasioned  by  that  thunder. 

And  this  reason  of  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  Exper.  792,  has  made 
me  crave  pardon  of  one  that  I  laughed  at  for  affirming,  that  he 
knew  Carps  come  to  a  certain  place  in  a  pond,  to  be  fed,  at  the 
ringing  of  a  bell,  or  the  beating  of  a  drum :  and  however,  it  shall 

81 


MORE  DIRECTIONS 

be  a  rule  for  me  to  make  as  little  noise  as  I  can  when  I  am  fishing, 
until  Sir  Francis  Bacon  be  confuted,  which  I  shall  give  any  man 
leave  to  do. 

And,  lest  you  may  think  him  singular  in  this  opinion,  I  will  tell 
you,  this  seems  to  be  believed  by  our  learned  Doctor  Hakewill, 
who  in  his  *  Apology  of  God's  Power  and  Providence,'  fol.  360, 
quotes  Pliny  to  report,  that  one  of  the  Emperors  had  particular 
fish-ponds,  and  in  them  several  fish,  that  appeared  and  came 
when  they  were  called  by  their  particular  names  :  and  St.  James 
tells  us.  Chap.  iii.  and  7,  that  all  things  in  the  sea  have  been 
tamed  by  mankind.  And  Pliny  tells  us.  Lib.  ix,  55,  that  Antonia, 
the  wife  of  Drusus,  had  a  Lamprey,  at  whose  gills  she  hung 
jewels  or  ear-rings :  and  that  others  have  been  so  tender-hearted, 
as  to  shed  tears  at  the  death  of  fishes,  which  they  have  kept  and 
loved.  And  these  observations,  which  will  to  most  hearers  seem 
wonderful,  seem  to  have  a  further  confirmation  from  *  Martial,' 
Lib.  iv,  Epigr.  30,  who  writes  thus: 

Piscator  fuge  ne  nocens,  &c 

Angler,  would'st  thou  be  guiltless?  then  forbear, 
For  these  are  sacred  fishes  that  swim  here ; 
Who  know  their  sovereigfn,  and  will  lick  his  hand: 
Than  which  none's  greater  in  the  world's  command: 
Nay,  more,  th*  have  names,  and  when  they  called  are, 
Do  to  their  several  owners'  call  repair. 

All  the  further  use  that  I  shall  make  of  this,  shall  be,  to  advise 
Anglers  to  be  patient,  and  forbear  swearing,  lest  they  be  heard, 
and  catch  no  fish. 

And  so  I  shall  proceed  next  to  tell  you,  it  is  certain,  that 
certain  fields  near  Lemster,  a  Town  in  Herefordshire,  are 
observed  to  make  the  sheep  that  graze  upon  them  more  fat 
than  the  next,  and  also  to  bear  finer  wool ;  that  is  to  say,  that, 
that  year  in  which  they  feed  in  such  a  particular  pasture,  they 
shall  yield  finer  wool  than  they  did  that  year  before  they  came 
to  feed  in  it,  and  coarser  again  if  they  shall  return  to  their 
former  pasture ;  and  again  return  to  a  finer  wool,  being  fed  in 
the  fine-wool  ground.  Which  I  tell  you,  that  you  may  the 
better  believe  that  I  am  certain,  if  I  catch  a  Trout  in  one 
meadow  he  shall  be  white  and  faint,  and  very  like  to  be  lousy ; 
82 


HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  THE  TROUT 

and  as  certainly,  if  I  catch  a  Trout  in  the  next  meadow,  he 
shall  be  strong,  and  red,  and  lusty,  and  much  better  meat : 
trust  me.  Scholar,  I  have  caught  many  a  Trout  in  a  particular 
meadow,  that  the  very  shape  and  the  enamelled  colour  of  him 
hath  been  such,  as  hath  joyed  me  to  look  on  him  :  and  I  have 
then  with  much  pleasure  concluded  with  Solomon,  *  Every  thing 
is  beautiful  in  his  season,'  Eccles.  iii.  ii. 

I  should  by  promise  speak  next  of  the  Salmon ;  but  I  will 
by  your  favour  say  a  little  of  the  Umber  or  Grayling ;  which  is 
so  like  a  Trout  for  his  shape  and  feeding,  that  I  desire  I  may 
exercise  your  patience  with  a  short  discourse  of  him,  and  then 
the  next  shall  be  of  the  Salmon. 


83 


CHAPTER  VI.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  UMBER  OR 
GRAYLING,  AND  DIRECTIONS  HOW  TO  FISH  FOR 
THEM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Umber  and  Grayling  are  thought  by  some  to  differ, 
as  the  Herring  and  Pilcher  do.  But  though  they  may 
do  so  in  other  nations,  I  think  those  in  England  differ 
nothing  but  in  their  names.  Aldrovandus  says,  they  be  of  a 
Trout  kind :  and  Gesner  says,  that  in  his  country,  which  is 
Switzerland,  he  is  accounted  the  choicest  of  all  fish.  And  in 
Italy,  he  is  in  the  month  of  May  so  highly  valued,  that  he  is 
sold  then  at  a  much  higher  rate  than  any  other  fish.  The 
French,  which  call  the  Chub  Un  Villain,  call  the  Umber  of  the 
lake  Leman,  Un  Umble  Chevalier  \  and  they  value  the  Umber 
or  Grayling  so  highly,  that  they  say  he  feeds  on  gold,  and  say 
that  many  have  been  caught  out  of  their  famous  river  of  Loire, 
out  of  whose  bellies  grains  of  gold  have  been  often  taken.  And 
some  think  that  he  feeds  on  Water-thyme,  and  smells  of  it  at 
his  first  taking  out  of  the  water ;  and  they  may  think  so  with 
as  good  reason  as  we  do,  that  our  Smelts  smell  like  violets  at 
their  being  first  caught ;  which  I  think  is  a  truth.  Aldrovandus 
says,  the  Salmon,  the  Grayling,  and  Trout,  and  all  fish  that 
live  in  clear  and  sharp  streams,  are  made  by  their  mother 
Nature  of  such  exact  shape  and  pleasant  colours,  purposely  to 
invite  us  to  a  joy  and  contentedness  in  feasting  with  her. 
Whether  this  is  a  truth  or  not,  is  not  my  purpose  to  dispute ; 
but  'tis  certain,  all  that  write  of  the  Umber  declare  him  to  be 
very  medicinable.  And  Gesner  says,  that  the  fat  of  an  Umber 
or  Grayling  being  set  with  a  little  honey,  a  day  or  two  in  the 
sun  in  a  little  glass,  is  very  excellent  against  redness,  or  swarthi- 
ness,  or  anything  that  breeds  in  the  eyes.  Salvian  takes  him 
84 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   UMBER  OR  GRAYLING 

to  be  called  Umber  from  his  swift  swimming  or  gliding  out  of 
sight,  more  like  a  shadow  or  a  ghost  than  a  fish.  Much  more 
might  be  said  both  of  his  smell  and  taste,  but  I  shall  only  tell 
you,  that  St.  Ambrose,  the  glorious  Bishop  of  Milan,  who  lived 
when  the  Church  kept  fasting-days,  calls  him  the  Flower-fish, 
or  Flower  of  Fishes,  and  that  he  was  so  far  in  love  with  him, 
that  he  would  not  let  him  pass  without  the  honour  of  a  long 
discourse ;  but  I  must ;  and  pass  on  to  tell  you  how  to  take 
this  dainty  fish. 

First,  note,  that  he  grows  not  to  the  bigness  of  a  Trout ; 
for  the  biggest  of  them  do  not  usually  exceed  eighteen  inches ; 
he  lives  in  such  rivers  as  the  Trout  does,  and  is  usually  taken 
with  the  same  baits  as  the  Trout  is,  and  after  the  same  manner, 
for  he  will  bite  both  at  the  Minnow,  or  Worm,  or  Fly ;  though 
he  bites  not  often  at  the  Minnow,  and  is  very  gamesome  at  the 
fly,  and  much  simpler,  and  therefore  bolder  than  a  Trout ;  for 
he  will  rise  twenty  times  at  a  fly,  if  you  miss  him,  and  yet  rise 
again.  He  has  been  taken  with  a  fly  made  of  the  red  feathers 
of  a  Parakita,  a  strange  outlandish  bird,  and  he  will  rise  at  a 
fly  not  unlike  a  gnat  or  a  small  moth,  or  indeed,  at  most  flies 
that  are  not  too  big.  He  is  a  fish  that  lurks  close  all  Winter, 
but  is  very  pleasant  and  jolly  after  mid- April,  and  in  May,  and 
in  the  hot  months  :  he  is  of  a  very  fine  shape,  his  flesh  is  white, 
his  teeth,  those  little  ones  that  he  has,  are  in  his  throat,  yet  he 
has  so  tender  a  mouth,  that  he  is  oftener  lost  after  an  Angler 
has  hooked  him  than  any  other  fish.  Though  there  be  many 
of  these  fishes  in  the  delicate  river  Dove,  and  in  Trent,  and 
some  other  smaller  rivers,  as  that  which  runs  by  Salisbury,  yet 
he  is  not  so  general  a  fish  as  the  Trout,  nor  to  me  so  good  to 
eat  or  to  angle  for.  And  so  I  shall  take  my  leave  of  him,  and 
now  come  to  some  observations  of  the  Salmon,  and  how  to 
catch  him. 


85 


CHAPTER    VIL      OBSERVATIONS    OF    THE    SALMON, 
WITH   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Salmon  is  accounted  the  King  of  fresh-water  fish,  and 
is  ever  bred  in  rivers  relating  to  the  sea,  yet  so  high  or 
far  from  it  as  admits  of  no  tincture  of  salt,  or  brackish- 
ness ;  he  is  said  to  breed  or  cast  his  spawn  in  most  rivers,  in 
the  month  of  August :  some  say  that  then  they  dig  a  hole  or 
grave  in  a  safe  place  in  the  gravel,  and  there  place  their  eggs 
or  spawn,  after  the  melter  has  done  his  natural  office,  and  then 
hide  it  most  cunningly,  and  cover  it  over  with  gravel  and  stones ; 
and  then  leave  it  to  their  Creator's  protection,  who  by  a  gentle 
heat,  which  he  infuses  into  that  cold  element,  makes  it  brood 
and  beget  life  in  the  spawn,  and  to  become  Samlets  early  in 
the  Spring  next  following. 

The  Salmons  having  spent  their  appointed  time,  and  done 
this  natural  duty  in  the  fresh  waters,  they  then  haste  to  the 
sea  before  Winter ;  both  the  melter  and  spawner :  but,  if  they 
be  stopped  by  flood-gates  or  wears,  or  lost  in  the  fresh  waters, 
then,  those  so  left  behind,  by  degrees  grow  sick,  and  lean,  and 
unseasonable,  and  kipper ;  that  is  to  say,  have  bony  gristles 
grow  out  of  their  lower  chaps,  not  unlike  a  hawk's  beak,  which 
hinder  their  feeding,  and  in  time  such  fish  so  left  behind,  pine 
away  and  die.  'Tis  observed,  that  he  may  live  thus  one  year 
from  the  sea ;  but  he  then  grows  insipid,  and  tasteless,  and 
loses  both  his  blood  and  strength,  and  pines  and  dies  the  second 
year.  And  'tis  noted,  that  those  little  Salmons  called  Skeggers, 
which  abound  in  many  rivers  relating  to  the  sea,  are  bred  by 
such  sick  Salmons,  that  might  not  go  to  the  sea,  and  that 
though  they  abound,  yet  they  never  thrive  to  any  considerable 
bigness. 

86 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   SALMON 

But  if  the  old  Salmon  gets  to  the  sea,  then  that  gristle 
which  shews  him  to  be  kipper,  wears  away,  or  is  cast  off,  as 
the  Eagle  is  said  to  cast  his  bill,  and  he  recovers  his  strength, 
and  comes  next  Summer  to  the  same  river,  if  it  be  possible,  to 
enjoy  the  former  pleasures  that  there  possessed  him ;  for,  as 
one  has  wittily  observed,  he  has,  like  some  persons  of  honour 
and  riches,  which  have  both  their  Winter  and  Summer  houses, 
the  fresh  rivers  for  Summer,  and  the  salt-water  for  Winter,  to 
spend  his  life  in ;  which  is  not,  as  Sir  Francis  Bacon  hath 
observed  in  his  *  History  of  Life  and  Death,*  above  ten  years : 
and  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  though  the  Salmon  does  grow  big 
in  the  sea,  yet  he  grows  not  fat  but  in  fresh  rivers ;  and  it  is 
observed,  that  the  farther  they  get  from  the  sea,  they  be  both 
the  fatter  and  better. 

Next,  I  shall  tell  you,  that  though  they  make  very  hard 
shift  to  get  out  of  the  fresh  rivers  into  the  sea ;  yet  they  will 
make  harder  shift  to  get  out  of  the  salt  into  the  fresh  rivers, 
to  spawn,  or  possess  the  pleasures  that  they  have  formerly  found 
in  them  :  to  which  end,  they  will  force  themselves  through 
flood-gates,  or  over  wears,  or  hedges,  or  stops  in  the  water, 
even  to  a  height  beyond  common  belief.  Gesner  speaks  of  such 
places  as  are  known  to  be  above  eight  feet  high  above  water. 
And  our  Camden  mentions  in  his  *  Britannia '  the  like  wonder 
to  be  in  Pembrokeshire,  where  the  river  Tivy  falls  into  the  sea, 
and  that  the  fall  is  so  down-right,  and  so  high,  that  the  people 
stand  and  wonder  at  the  strength  and  sleight  by  which  they 
see  the  Salmon  use  to  get  out  of  the  sea  into  the  said  river; 
and  the  manner  and  height  of  the  place  is  so  notable,  that  it  is 
known  far  by  the  name  of  the  Salmon-leap ;  concerning  which, 
take  this  also  out  of  Michael  Drayton,  my  honest  old  friend ; 
as  he  tells  it  you  in  his  *  Polyolbion.* 

And  when  the  Salmon  seeks  a  fresher  stream  to  find, 
Which  hither  from  the  Sea  comes  yearly  by  his  kind ; 
As  he  towards  season  grows,  and  stems  the  wat'ry  tract 
Where  Tivy  falling  down,  makes  an  high  cataract, 
Forc'd  by  the  rising  rocks  that  there  her  course  oppose. 
As  though  within  her  bounds  they  meant  her  to  inclose ; 
Here,  when  the  labouring  fish  does  at  the  foot  arrive. 
And  finds  that  by  his  strength  he  does  but  vainly  strive ; 

87 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   SALMON 

His  tail  takes  in  his  mouth,  and  bending  like  a  bow 
That 's  to  full  compass  drawn,  aloft  himself  doth  throw, 
Then  springing  at  his  height,  as  doth  a  little  wand, 
That  bended  end  to  end,  and  started  from  man's  hand, 
Far  off  itself  doth  cast ;  so,  does  the  Salmon  vault, 
And  if  at  first  he  fail,  his  second  Summersault 
He  instantly  essays :  and  from  his  nimble  ring. 
Still  yerking,  never  leaves  until  himself  he  fling 
Above  the  opposing  stream. 

This  Michael  Drayton  tells  you,  of  this  leap  or  summersault 
of  the  Salmon. 

And  next  I  shall  tell  you,  that  it  is  observed  by  Gesner 
and  others,  that  there  is  no  better  Salmon  than  in  England  : 
and  that  though  some  of  our  northern  countries  have  as  fat 
and  as  large  as  the  river  Thames,  yet  none  are  of  so  excellent 
a  taste. 

And  as  I  have  told  you  that  Sir  Francis  Bacon  observes, 
the  age  of  a  Salmon  exceeds  not  ten  years,  so  let  me  next  tell 
you,  that  his  growth  is  very  sudden :  it  is  said,  that  after  he  is 
got  into  the  sea,  he  becomes  from  a  Samlet,  not  so  big  as  a 
Gudgeon,  to  be  a  Salmon,  in  as  short  a  time  as  a  gosling 
becomes  to  be  a  goose.  Much  of  this  has  been  observed  by 
tying  a  ribbon  or  some  known  tape  or  thread,  in  the  tail  of 
some  young  Salmons,  which  have  been  taken  in  wears  as  they 
have  swimmed  towards  the  salt-water,  and  then  by  taking  a 
part  of  them  again  with  the  known  mark  at  the  same  place  at 
their  return  from  the  sea,  which  is  usually  about  six  months 
after;  and  the  like  experiment  hath  been  tried  upon  young 
Swallows,  who  have,  after  six  months'  absence,  been  observed 
to  return  to  the  same  chimney,  there  to  make  their  nests  and 
habitations  for  the  Summer  following  :  which  has  inclined  many 
to  think,  that  every  Salmon  usually  returns  to  the  same  river 
in  which  it  was  bred,  as  young  Pigeons  taken  out  of  the  same 
dove-cote,  have  also  been  observed  to  do. 

And  you  are  yet  to  observe  further,  that  the  he-Salmon  is 
usually  bigger  than  the  Spawner,  and  that  he  is  more  kipper, 
and  less  able  to  endure  a  Winter  in  the  fresh-water,  than  she 
is,  yet  she  is  at  that  time  of  looking  less  kipper  and  better,  as 
watery,  and  as  bad  meat. 

And  yet  you  are  to  observe,  that  as  there  is  no  general 

88 


WITH   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH   FOR   HIM 

rule  without  an  exception,  so  there  are  some  few  rivers  in  this 
nation,  that  have  Trouts  and  Salmons  in  season  in  Winter,  as 
*tis  certain  there  be  in  the  river  Wye  in  Monmouthshire,  where 
they  be  in  season,  as  Camden  observes,  from  September  till 
April.  But,  my  Scholar,  the  observation  of  this  and  many 
other  things,  I  must  in  manners  omit,  because  they  will  prove 
too  large  for  our  narrow  compass  of  time,  and  therefore 
I  shall  next  fall  upon  my  directions,  how  to  fish  for  this 
Salmon. 

And  for  that,  first  you  shall  observe,  that  usually  he  stays 
not  long  in  a  place  as  Trouts  will,  but,  as  I  said,  covets  still  to 
go  nearer  the  spring-head ;  and  that  he  does  not  as  the  Trout, 
and  many  other  fish,  lie  near  the  water-side  or  bank  or  roots 
of  trees,  but  swims  in  the  deep  and  broad  parts  of  the  water, 
and  usually  in  the  middle,  and  near  the  ground,  and  that  there 
you  are  to  fish  for  him,  and  that  it  is  to  be  caught  as  the 
Trout  is,  with  a  Worm,  a  Minnow,  which  some  call  a  Penk, 
or  with  a  Fly. 

And  you  are  to  observe,  that  he  is  very  seldom  observed  to 
bite  at  a  Minnow,  yet  sometimes  he  will,  and  not  usually  at  a  fly, 
but  more  usually  at  a  worm,  and  then  most  usually  at  a  Lob  or 
Garden-worm,  which  should  be  well  scoured,  that  is  to  say,  kept 
seven  or  eight  days  in  moss  before  you  fish  with  them :  and  if 
you  double  your  time  of  eight  into  sixteen,  twenty,  or  more  days, 
it  is  still  the  better,  for  the  worms  will  still  be  clearer,  tougher, 
and  more  lively,  and  continue  so  longer  upon  your  hook ;  and 
they  may  be  kept  longer  by  keeping  them  cool  and  in  fresh  moss, 
and  some  advise  to  put  camphor  into  it. 

Note  also,  that  many  use  to  fish  for  a  Salmon  with  a  ring  of 
wire  on  the  top  of  their  rod,  through  which  the  line  may  run  to 
as  great  a  length  as  is  needful  when  he  is  hooked.  And  to  that 
end,  some  use  a  wheel  about  the  middle  of  their  rod,  or  near  their 
hand,  which  is  to  be  observed  better  by  seeing  one  of  them,  than 
by  a  large  demonstration  of  words. 

And  now  I  shall  tell  you,  that  which  may  be  called  a  secret : 
I  have  been  a-fishing  with  old  Oliver  Henley,  now  with  God,  a 
noted  Fisher  both  for  Trout  and  Salmon,  and  have  observed, 
that  he  would  usually  take  three  or  four  worms  out  of  his  bag, 
and  put  them  into  a  little  box  in  his  pocket,  where  he  would 

89 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   SALMON 

usually  let  them  continue  half  an  hour  or  more,  before  he  would 
bait  his  hook  with  them ;  I  have  asked  him  his  reason,  and  he 
has  replied,  *  He  did  but  pick  the  best  out  to  be  in  readiness 
against  he  baited  his  hook  the  next  time.'  But  he  has  been 
observed  both  by  others  and  myself,  to  catch  more  fish  than  I  or 
any  other  body  that  has  ever  gone  a-fishing  with  him  could  do, 
and  especially  Salmons ;  and  I  have  been  told  lately,  by  one  of 
his  most  intimate  and  secret  friends,  that  the  box  in  which  he  put 
those  worms,  was  anointed  with  a  drop,  or  two  or  three,  of  the 
Oil  of  Ivy-berries,  made  by  expression  or  infusion  ;  and  told,  that 
by  the  worms  remaining  in  that  box  an  hour,  or  a  like  time,  they 
had  incorporated  a  kind  of  smell  that  was  irresistibly  attractive, 
enough  to  force  any  fish  within  the  smell  of  them,  to  bite.  This 
I  heard  not  long  since  from  a  friend,  but  have  not  tried  it ;  yet  I 
grant  it  probable,  and  refer  my  reader  to  Sir  Francis  Bacon's 
*  Natural  History,'  where  he  proves  fishes  may  hear,  and  doubtless 
can  more  probably  smell:  and  I  am  certain  Gesner  says,  the 
Otter  can  smell  in  the  water,  and  I  know  not  but  that  fish  may 
do  so  too :  'tis  left  for  a  lover  of  Angling,  or  any  that  desires  to 
improve  that  art,  to  try  this  conclusion. 

I  shall  also  impart  two  other  experiments,  but  not  tried  by 
myself,  which  I  will  deliver  in  the  same  words  that  they  were 
given  me  by  an  excellent  Angler  and  a  very  friend,  in  writing ; 
he  told  me  the  latter  was  too  good  to  be  told,  but  in  a  learned 
language,  lest  it  should  be  made  common. 

*  Take  the  stinking  oil,  drawn  out  of  Polypody  of  the  oak  by 
a  retort,  mixed  with  turpentine,  and  hive-honey,  and  anoint  your 
bait  therewith,  and  it  will  doubtless  draw  the  fish  to  it.' 

The  other  is  this:  *Vulnera  hederae  grandissimae  inflicta 
sudant  Balsamum  oleo  gelato,  albicantique  persimile,  odoris  vero 
longe  suavissimi.' 

'Tis  supremely  sweet  to  any  fish,  and  yet  Assafoetida  may  do 
the  like. 

But  in  these  things  I  have  no  great  faith,  yet  grant  it 
probable,  and  have  had  from  some  chemical  men,  namely,  from 
Sir  George  Hastings  and  others,  an  affirmation  of  them  to  be 
very  advantageous :  but  no  more  of  these,  especially  not  in  this 
place. 

I  might  here,  before  I  take  my  leave  of  the  Salmon,  tell  you, 
90 


Old  Oliver  Henley,  now  with  God,  a  noted  Fisher 
both  for  Trout  and  Salmon. 


WITH   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  HIM 

that  there  is  more  than  one  sort  of  them,  as  namely,  a  Tecon, 
and  another  called  in  some  places  a  Samlet,  or  by  some,  a 
Skegger :  but  these  and  others,  which  I  forbear  to  name,  may  be 
fish  of  another  kind,  and  differ,  as  we  know  a  Herring  and  a 
Pilcher  do,  which  I  think  are  as  different,  as  the  rivers  in  which 
they  breed,  and  must  by  me  be  left  to  the  disquisitions  of  men 
of  more  leisure,  and  of  greater  abilities,  than  I  profess  myself 
to  have. 

And  lastly,  I  am  to  borrow  so  much  of  your  promised 
patience,  as  to  tell  you  that  the  Trout  or  Salmon  being  in  season, 
have  at  their  first  taking  out  of  the  water,  which  continues  during 
life,  their  bodies  adorned,  the  one  with  such  red  spots,  and  the 
other  with  such  black  or  blackish  spots,  as  give  them  such  an 
addition  of  natural  beauty,  as,  I  think,  was  never  given  to  any 
woman  by  the  artificial  paint  or  patches,  in  which  they  so  much 
pride  themselves  in  this  age.  And  so  I  shall  leave  them  both, 
and  proceed  to  some  observations  on  the  Pike. 


91 


CHAPTER  VIII.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  LUCE  OR 
PIKE,  WITH  DIRECTIONS  HOW  TO  FISH  FOR 
HIM 

PISCATOR  AND  VENATOR 

PISCATOR.  The  mighty  Luce  or  Pike  is  taken  to  be  the 
Tyrant,  as  the  Salmon  is  the  King  of  the  fresh  waters. 
*Tis  not  to  be  doubted,  but  that  they  are  bred,  some  by 
generation,  and  some  not :  as  namely,  of  a  weed  called  Pickerel- 
weed,  unless  learned  Gesner  be  much  mistaken  :  for  he  says,  this 
weed  and  other  glutinous  matter,  with  the  help  of  the  Sun's  heat 
in  some  particular  months,  and  some  ponds  apted  for  it  by  nature, 
do  become  Pikes.  But  doubtless  divers  Pikes  are  bred  after 
this  manner,  or  are  brought  into  some  ponds  some  such  other 
ways  as  are  past  man's  finding  out,  of  which  we  have  daily 
testimonies. 

Sir  Francis  Bacon,  in  his  *  History  of  Life  and  Death,* 
observes  the  Pike  to  be  the  longest-lived  of  any  fresh-water-fish, 
and  yet  he  computes  it  to  be  not  usually  above  forty  years; 
and  others  think  it  to  be  not  above  ten  years ;  and  yet  Gesner 
mentions  a  Pike  taken  in  Swedeland  in  the  year  1449,  with  a  ring 
about  his  neck,  declaring  he  was  put  into  that  pond  by  Frederick 
the  Second,  more  than  two  hundred  years  before  he  was  last 
taken,  as  by  the  Inscription  in  that  ring,  being  Greek,  was  inter- 
preted by  the  then  Bishop  of  Worms.  But  of  this  no  more,  but 
that  it  is  observed,  that  the  old  or  very  great  Pikes  have  in  them 
more  of  state  than  goodness ;  the  smaller  or  middle-sized  Pikes, 
being  by  the  most  and  choicest  palates  observed  to  be  the  best 
meat ;  and  contrary,  the  Eel  is  observed  to  be  the  better  for  age 
and  bigness. 

All  Pikes  that  live  long  prove  chargeable  to  their  keepers, 

because  their  life  is  maintained  by  the  death  of  so  many  other 

fish,  even  those  of  their  own  kind  ;  which  has  made  him  by 

some  writers  to  be  called  the  Tyrant  of  the  Rivers,  or  the  Fresh- 

92 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   LUCE   OR   PIKE 

water- Wolf,  by  reason  of  his  bold,  greedy,  devouring  disposition, 
which  is  so  keen,  as  Gesner  relates,  a  man  going  to  a  pond, 
where  it  seems  a  Pike  had  devoured  all  the  fish,  to  water  his 
Mule,  had  a  Pike  bit  his  Mule  by  the  lips ;  to  which  the  Pike 
hung  so  fast,  that  the  Mule  drew  him  out  of  the  water,  and  by 
that  accident  the  owner  of  the  Mule  angled  out  the  Pike.  And 
the  same  Gesner  observes,  that  a  Maid  in  Poland  had  a  Pike  bit 
her  by  the  foot  as  she  was  washing  clothes  in  a  pond.  And 
I  have  heard  the  like  of  a  woman  in  Killingworth  Pond,  not  far 
from  Coventry.  But  I  have  been  assured  by  my  friend  Mr. 
Segrave,  of  whom  I  spake  to  you  formerly,  that  keeps  tame 
Otters,  that  he  hath  known  a  Pike  in  extreme  hunger,  fight  with 
one  of  his  Otters  for  a  Carp  that  the  Otter  had  caught,  and  was 
then  bringing  out  of  the  water.  I  have  told  you  who  relate  these 
things,  and  tell  you  they  are  persons  of  credit,  and  shall  con- 
clude this  observation,  by  telling  you  what  a  wise  man  has 
observed ;  *  It  is  a  hard  thing  to  persuade  the  belly,  because  it 
has  no  ears.* 

But  if  these  relations  be  disbelieved,  it  is  too  evident  to  be 
doubted,  that  a  Pike  will  devour  a  fish  of  his  own  kind,  that  shall 
be  bigger  than  his  belly  or  throat  will  receive,  and  swallow  a 
part  of  him,  and  let  the  other  part  remain  in  his  mouth  till  the 
swallowed  part  be  digested,  and  then  swallow  that  other  part 
that  was  in  his  mouth,  and  so  put  it  over  by  degrees ;  which  is 
not  unlike  the  Ox  and  some  other  beasts,  taking  their  meat,  not 
out  of  their  mouth  immediately  into  their  belly,  but  first  into 
some  place  betwixt,  and  then  chew  it,  or  digest  it  by  degrees 
after,  which  is  called  Chewing  the  Cud.  And  doubtless  Pikes 
will  bite  when  they  are  not  hungry,  but  as  some  think  even  for 
very  anger,  when  a  tempting  bait  comes  near  to  them. 

And  it  is  observed,  that  the  Pike  will  eat  venomous  things, — 
as  some  kind  of  Frogs  are, — and  yet  live  without  being  harmed 
by  them :  for  as  some  say,  he  has  in  him  a  natural  balsam,  or 
antidote  against  all  poison:  and  he  has  a  strange  heat,  that 
though  it  appear  to  us  to  be  cold,  can  yet  digest,  or  put  over, 
any  fish -flesh  by  degrees  without  being  sick.  And  others 
observe,  that  he  never  eats  the  venomous  Frog  till  he  have  first 
killed  her,  and  then,— as  Ducks  are  observed  to  do  to  Frogs  in 
spawning-time, — at  which  time  some  Frogs  are  observed  to  be 

93 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   LUCE  OR  PIKE 

venomous, — so  thoroughly  washed  her,  by  tumbling  her  up  and 
down  in  the  water,  that  he  may  devour  her  without  danger. 
And  Gesner  affirms  that  a  Polonian  gentleman  did  faithfully 
assure  him,  he  had  seen  two  young  Geese  at  one  time  in  the 
belly  of  a  Pike.  And  doubtless  a  Pike  in  his  height  of  hunger, 
will  bite  at  and  devour  a  dog  that  swims  in  a  pond,  and  there 
have  been  examples  of  it,  or  the  like ;  for  as  I  told  you,  *  The 
belly  has  no  ears  when  hunger  comes  upon  it.* 

The  Pike  is  also  observed  to  be  a  solitary,  melancholy,  and  a 
bold  fish :  melancholy,  because  he  always  swims  or  rests  himself 
alone,  and  never  swims  in  shoals  or  with  company,  as  Roach 
and  Dace,  and  most  other  fish  do:  and  bold,  because  he  fears 
not  a  shadow,  or  to  see  or  be  seen  of  any  body,  as  the  Trout 
and  Chub,  and  all  other  fish  do. 

And  it  is  observed  by  Gesner,  that  the  jaw-bones,  and  hearts 
and  galls  of  Pikes,  are  very  medicinable  for  several  diseases ; 
or  to  stop  blood,  to  abate  fevers,  to  cure  agues,  to  oppose  or 
expel  the  infection  of  the  Plague,  and  to  be  many  ways  medicin- 
able and  useful  for  the  good  of  mankind :  but  he  observes,  that 
the  biting  of  a  Pike  is  venomous  and  hard  to  be  cured. 

And  it  is  observed,  that  the  Pike  is  a  fish  that  breeds  but 
once  a  year,  and  that  other  fish,  as  namely.  Loaches,  do  breed 
oftener :  as  we  are  certain  tame  Pigeons  do  almost  every  month, 
and  yet  the  Hawk,  a  bird  of  prey,  as  the  Pike  is  a  fish,  breeds 
but  once  in  twelve  months :  and  you  are  to  note,  that  his  time  of 
breeding,  or  spawning,  is  usually  about  the  end  of  February,  or 
somewhat  later,  in  March,  as  the  weather  proves  colder  or 
warmer,  and  to  note,  that  his  manner  of  breeding  is  thus,  a  He 
and  a  She-Pike  will  usually  go  together  out  of  a  river  into  some 
ditch  or  creek,  and  that  there  the  Spawner  casts  her  eggs,  and 
the  Melter  hovers  over  her  all  that  time  that  she  is  casting  her 
spawn,  but  touches  her  not. 

I  might  say  more  of  this,  but  it  might  be  thought  curiosity  or 
worse,  and  shall  therefore  forbear  it,  and  take  up  so  much  of  your 
attention,  as  to  tell  you,  that  the  best  of  Pikes  are  noted  to  be  in 
Rivers,  next,  those  in  great  Ponds,  or  Meres,  and  the  worst  in 
small  Ponds. 

But  before  I  proceed  further,  I  am  to  tell  you  that  there  is  a 
great  antipathy  betwixt  the  Pike  and  some  Frogs ;  and  this 
94 


WITH    DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH   FOR   HIM 

may  appear  to  the  reader  of  Dubravius,  a  Bishop  in  Bohemia,  who 
in  his  book  *  Of  Fish  and  Fish-ponds,'  relates  what  he  says  he 
saw  with  his  own  eyes,  and  could  not  forbear  to  tell  the  reader. 
Which  was: 

*  As  he  and  the  Bishop  Thurzo  were  walking  by  a  large  pond 
in  Bohemia,  they  saw  a  Frog,  when  the  Pike  lay  very  sleepily 
and  quiet  by  the  shore-side,  leap  upon  his  head,  and  the  Frog 
having  expressed  malice  or  anger  by  his  swollen  cheeks  and 
staring  eyes,  did  stretch  out  his  legs  and  embraced  the  Pike's 
head,  and  presently  reached  them  to  his  eyes,  tearing  with  them 
and  his  teeth  those  tender  parts  ;  the  Pike,  moved  with  anguish, 
moves  up  and  down  the  water,  and  rubs  himself  against  weeds, 
and  whatever  he  thought  might  quit  him  of  his  enemy ;  but  all 
in  vain,  for  the  Frog  did  continue  to  ride  triumphantly,  and  to  bite 
and  torment  the  Pike,  till  his  strength  failed,  and  then  the  Frog 
sunk  with  the  Pike  to  the  bottom  of  the  water ;  then  presently 
the  Frog  appeared  again  at  the  top  and  croaked,  and  seemed  to 
rejoice  like  a  conqueror,  after  which  he  presently  retired  to  his 
secret  hole.  The  Bishop,  that  had  beheld  the  battle,  called  his 
fisherman  to  fetch  his  nets,  and  by  all  means  to  get  the  Pike,  that 
they  might  declare  what  had  happened :  and  the  Pike  was  drawn 
forth,  and  both  his  eyes  eaten  out,  at  which  when  they  began  to 
wonder,  the  fisherman  wished  them  to  forbear,  and  assured  them 
he  was  certain  that  Pikes  were  often  so  served.' 

I  told  this,  which  is  to  be  read  in  the  Sixth  Chapter  of  the 
First  Book  of  Dubravius,  unto  a  friend,  who  replied,  *  It  was  as 
improbable  as  to  have  the  mouse  scratch  out  the  cat's  eyes.*  But 
he  did  not  consider,  that  there  be  Fishing  Frogs,  which  the 
Dalmatians  call  the  Water-devil,  of  which  I  might  tell  you  as 
wonderful  a  story,  but  I  shall  tell  you,  that  'tis  not  to  be  doubted, 
but  that  there  be  some  Frogs  so  fearful  of  the  Water-snake,  that, 
when  they  swim  in  a  place  in  which  they  fear  to  meet  with  him, 
they  then  get  a  reed  across  into  their  mouths,  which,  if  they  two 
meet  by  accident,  secures  the  Frog  from  the  strength  and  malice 
of  the  Snake  ;  and  note,  that  the  Frog  usually  swims  the  fastest 
of  the  two. 

And  let  me  tell  you,  that  as  there  be  Water  and  Land-Frogs, 
so  there  be  Land  and  Water-snakes.  Concerning  which,  take 
this  observation,  that  the  Land-snake  breeds  and  hatches  her 

95 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   LUCE   OR  PIKE 

eggs,  which  become  young  snakes,  in  some  old  dunghill,  or  a 
like  hot  place ;  but  the  Water-snake,  which  is  not  venomous, 
and  as  I  have  been  assured  by  a  great  observer  of  such  secrets, 
does  not  hatch  but  breed  her  young  alive,  which  she  does  not 
then  forsake,  but  bides  with  them,  and  in  case  of  danger  will 
take  them  all  into  her  mouth,  and  swim  away  from  any  appre- 
hended danger,  and  then  let  them  out  again  when  she  thinks 
all  danger  to  be  past ;  these  be  accidents  that  we  Anglers 
sometimes  see,  and  often  talk  of. 

But  whither  am  I  going?  I  had  almost  lost  myself  by 
remembering  the  discourse  of  Dubravius.  I  will  therefore  stop 
here,  and  tell  you  according  to  my  promise  how  to  catch  this 
Pike. 

His  feeding  is  usually  of  fish  or  frogs,  and  sometimes  a  weed 
of  his  own  called  Pickerel-weed.  Of  which  I  told  you  some 
think  some  Pikes  are  bred ;  for  they  have  observed,  that  where 
none  have  been  put  into  ponds,  yet  they  have  there  found 
many :  and  that  there  has  been  plenty  of  that  weed  in  those 
ponds,  and  that  that  weed  both  breeds  and  feeds  them ;  but 
whether  those  Pikes  so  bred  will  ever  breed  by  generation  as 
the  others  do,  I  shall  leave  to  the  disquisitions  of  men  of  more 
curiosity  and  leisure  than  I  profess  myself  to  have ;  and  shall 
proceed  to  tell  you  that  you  may  fish  for  a  Pike,  either  with  a 
Ledger  or  a  Walking-bait ;  and  you  are  to  note,  that  I  call  that 
a  Ledger-bait,  which  is  fixed  or  made  to  rest  in  one  certain 
place  when  you  shall  be  absent  from  it :  and  I  call  that  a 
Walking-bait,  which  you  take  with  you,  and  have  ever  in 
motion.  Concerning  which  two,  I  shall  give  you  this  direction  ; 
that  your  Ledger-bait  is  best  to  be  a  living  bait,  though  a  dead 
one  may  catch,  whether  it  be  a  fish  or  a  frog ;  and  that  you 
may  make  them  live  the  longer,  you  may,  or  indeed  you  must, 
take  this  course. 

First,  for  your  live-bait  of  fish,  a  Roach  or  Dace  is,  I  think, 
best  and  most  tempting,  and  a  Pearch  is  the  longest  lived  on  a 
hook,  and  having  cut  off  his  fin  on  his  back,  which  may  be 
done  without  hurting  him,  you  must  take  your  knife,  which 
cannot  be  too  sharp,  and  betwixt  the  head  and  the  fin  on  the 
back,  cut  or  make  an  incision,  or  such  a  scar,  as  you  may  put 
the  arming-wire  of  your  hook  into  it,  with  as  little  bruising  or 
96 


WITH    DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

hurting  the  fish  as  art  and  diligence  will  enable  you  to  do ; 
and  so  carrying  your  arming-wire  along  his  back,  unto,  or  near 
the  tail  of  your  fish,  betwixt  the  skin  and  the  body  of  it,  draw 
out  that  wire  or  arming  of  your  hook  at  another  scar  near  to 
his  tail :  then  tie  him  about  it  with  thread,  but  no  harder  than 
of  necessity  to  prevent  hurting  the  fish  ;  and  the  better  to  avoid 
hurting  the  fish,  some  have  a  kind  of  probe  to  open  the  way, 
for  the  more  easy  entrance  and  passage  of  your  wire  or  arming  : 
but  as  for  these,  time,  and  a  little  experience,  will  teach  you 
better  than  I  can  by  words ;  therefore  I  will  for  the  present  say 
no  more  of  this,  but  come  next  to  give  you  some  directions  how 
to  bait  your  hook  with  a  Frog. 

Venator.  But,  good  Master,  did  you  not  say  even  now, 
that  some  Frogs  were  venomous,  and  is  it  not  dangerous  to 
touch  them  ? 

Pisc.  Yes,  but  I  will  give  you  some  rules  or  cautions 
concerning  them :  and  first,  you  are  to  note,  that  there  are  two 
kinds  of  Frogs ;  that  is  to  say,  if  I  may  so  express  myself,  a 
Flesh,  and  a  Fish-frog :  by  Flesh-frogs,  I  mean  frogs  that  breed 
and  live  on  the  land  ;  and  of  these  there  be  several  sorts  also, 
and  of  several  colours,  some  being  speckled,  some  greenish, 
some  blackish,  or  brown  :  the  Green-Frog,  which  is  a  small  one, 
is  by  Topsel  taken  to  be  venomous ;  and  so  is  the  Padock  or 
Frog-padock,  which  usually  keeps  or  breeds  on  the  land,  and  is 
very  large,  and  bony,  and  big,  especially  the  she-frog  of  that 
kind ;  yet  these  will  sometimes  come  into  the  water,  but  it  is 
not  often  ;  and  the  Land-frogs  are  some  of  them  observed  by 
him,  to  breed  by  laying  eggs  :  and  others  to  breed  of  the  slime 
and  dust  of  the  earth,  and  that  in  Winter  they  turn  to  slime 
again,  and  that  the  next  Summer  that  very  slime  returns  to 
be  a  living  creature ;  this  is  the  opinion  of  Pliny,  ,  in  his  loth 
and  *  Cardanus  undertakes  to  give  a  reason  for  the  Book  ♦  De 
raining  of  frogs :  but  if  it  were  in  my  power,  it  ^^^^'  ^^'' 
should  rain  none  but  Water-frogs,  for  those  I  think  are  not 
venomous,  especially  the  right  Water-frog,  which  about  February 
or  March  breeds  in  ditches  by  slime,  and  blackish  eggs  in  that 
slime :  about  which  time  of  breeding,  the  he  and  she-frogs  are 
observed  to  use  divers  summersaults,  and  to  croak  and  make 
a  noise,  which  the  Land-frog,  or  Padock-frog,  never  does.  Now 
p  97 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   LUCE   OR  PIKE 

of  these  Water-frogs,  if  you  intend  to  fish  with  a  frog  for  a 
Pike,  you  are  to  choose  the  yellowest  that  you  can  get,  for  that 
the  Pike  ever  likes  best.  And  thus  use  your  frog,  that  he  may 
continue  long  alive. 

Put  your  hook  into  his  mouth,  which  you  may  easily  do 
from  the  middle  of  April  till  August,  and  then  the  frog's  mouth 
grows  up,  and  he  continues  so  for  at  least  six  months  without 
eating,  but  is  sustained,  none,  but  He  whose  Name  is  Wonder- 
ful, knows  how :  I  say,  put  your  hook,  I  mean  the  arming-wire, 
through  his  mouth,  and  out  at  his  gills,  and  then  with  a  fine 
needle  and  silk  sew  the  upper  part  of  his  leg  with  only  one 
stitch  to  the  arming-wire  of  your  hook,  or  tie  the  frog's  leg 
above  the  upper  joint  to  the  armed  wire ;  and  in  so  doing,  use 
him  as  though  you  loved  him,  that  is,  harm  him  as  little  as  you 
may  possibly,  that  he  may  live  the  longer. 

And  now,  having  given  you  this  direction  for  the  baiting 
your  Ledger-hook  with  a  live  fish  or  frog,  my  next  must  be  to 
tell  you,  how  your  hook  thus  baited  must  or  may  be  used :  and 
it  is  thus.  Having  fastened  your  hook  to  a  line,  which  if  it  be 
not  fourteen  yards  long,  should  not  be  less  than  twelve ;  you 
are  to  fasten  that  line  to  any  bough  near  to  a  hole  where  a 
Pike  is,  or  is  likely  to  lie,  or  to  have  a  haunt,  and  then  wind 
your  line  on  any  forked  stick,  all  your  line,  except  half  a  yard 
of  it,  or  rather  more,  and  split  that  forked  stick  with  such  a 
nick  or  notch  at  one  end  of  it,  as  may  keep  the  line  from  any 
more  of  it  ravelling  from  about  the  stick  than  so  much  of  it  as 
you  intend ;  and  choose  your  forked  stick  to  be  of  that  bigness 
as  may  keep  the  fish  or  frog  from  pulling  the  forked  stick  under 
the  water  till  the  Pike  bites,  and  then  the  Pike  having  pulled 
the  line  forth  of  the  cleft  or  nick  of  that  stick  in  which  it  was 
gently  fastened,  he  will  have  line  enough  to  go  to  his  hold  and 
pouch  the  bait :  and  if  you  would  have  this  Ledger-bait  to  keep 
at  a  fixed  place,  undisturbed  by  wind  or  other  accidents,  which 
may  drive  it  to  the  shore-side ;  for  you  are  to  note,  that  it  is 
likeliest  to  catch  a  Pike  in  the  midst  of  the  water,  then  hang 
a  small  plummet  of  lead,  a  stone,  or  piece  of  tile,  or  a  turf  in  a 
string,  and  cast  it  into  the  water,  with  the  forked  stick,  to  hang 
upon  the  ground,  to  be  a  kind  of  anchor  to  keep  the  forked 
stick  from  moving  out  of  your  intended  place  till  the  Pike  come. 
98 


WITH    DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

This  I  take  to  be  a  very  good  way,  to  use  so  many  Ledger- 
baits  as  you  intend  to  make  trial  of. 

Or  if  you  bait  your  hooks  thus  with  live  fish  or  frogs,  and 
in  a  windy  day,  fasten  them  thus  to  a  bough  or  bundle  of  straw, 
and  by  the  help  of  that  wind  can  get  them  to  move  across  a 
pond  or  mere,  you  are  like  to  stand  still  on  the  shore  and  see 
sport  presently  if  there  be  any  store  of  Pikes ;  or  these  live- 
baits  may  make  sport,  being  tied  about  the  body  or  wings  of 
a  goose  or  duck,  and  she  chased  over  a  pond :  and  the  like 
may  be  done  with  turning  three  or  four  live-baits  thus  fastened 
to  bladders,  or  boughs,  or  bottles  of  hay  or  flags  to  swim  down 
a  river,  whilst  you  walk  quietly  alone  on  the  shore,  and  are 
still  in  expectation  of  sport.  The  rest  must  be  taught  you  by 
practice,  for  time  will  not  allow  me  to  say  more  of  this  kind  of 
fishing  with  live-baits. 

And  for  your  dead-bait  for  a  Pike,  for  that  you  may  be 
taught  by  one  day's  going  a-fishing  with  me,  or  any  other  body 
that  fishes  for  him,  for  the  baiting  your  hook  with  a  dead 
Gudgeon  or  a  Roach,  and  moving  it  up  and  down  the  water, 
is  too  easy  a  thing  to  take  up  any  time  to  direct  you  to  do  it ; 
and  yet,  because  I  cut  you  short  in  that,  I  will  commute  for  it, 
by  telling  you  that  that  was  told  me  for  a  secret :  it  is  this. 

Dissolve  Gum  of  Ivy  in  Oil  of  Spike,  and  therewith  anoint 
your  dead-bait  for  a  Pike,  and  then  cast  it  into  a  likely  place, 
and  when  it  has  lain  a  short  time  at  the  bottom,  draw  it  towards 
the  top  of  the  water  and  so  up  the  stream,  and  it  is  more  than 
likely  that  you  have  a  Pike  follow  with  more  than  common 
eagerness. 

And  some  affirm,  that  any  bait  anointed  with  the  marrow 
of  the  thigh-bone  of  an  Hern,  is  a  great  temptation  to  any 
fish. 

These  have  not  been  tried  by  me,  but  told  me  by  a  friend 
of  note,  that  pretended  to  do  me  a  courtesy ;  but  if  this  direc- 
tion to  catch  a  Pike  thus,  do  you  no  good,  yet  I  am  certain 
this  direction  how  to  roast  him  when  he  is  caught,  is  choicely 
good,  for  I  have  tried  it ;  and  it  is  somewhat  the  better  for  not 
being  common,  but  with  my  direction  you  must  take  this  caution, 
that  your  Pike  must  not  be  a  small  one,  that  is,  it  must  be  more 
than  half  a  yard,  and  should  be  bigger. 

99 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   LUCE   OR  PIKE 

First,  open  your  Pike  at  the  gills,  and  if  need  be,  cut  also 
a  little  slit  towards  the  belly ;  out  of  these  take  his  guts  and 
keep  his  liver,  which  you  are  to  shred  very  small  with  Thyme, 
Sweet -marjoram,  and  a  little  Winter -savory :  to  these  put 
some  pickled  Oysters,  and  some  Anchovies,  two  or  three,  both 
these  last  whole,  for  the  Anchovies  will  melt,  and  the  Oysters 
should  not,  to  these  you  must  add  also  a  pound  of  sweet  Butter, 
which  you  are  to  mix  with  the  herbs  that  are  shred,  and  let 
them  all  be  well  salted :  if  the  Pike  be  more  than  a  yard  long, 
then  you  may  put  into  these  herbs  more  than  a  pound,  or  if  he 
be  less,  then  less  butter  will  suffice :  these  being  thus  mixed 
with  a  blade  or  two  of  mace,  must  be  put  into  the  Pike's  belly, 
and  then  his  belly  so  sewed  up,  as  to  keep  all  the  butter  in  his 
belly  if  it  be  possible  ;  if  not,  then  as  much  of  it  as  you  possibly 
can,  but  take  not  ofif  the  scales ;  then  you  are  to  thrust  the 
spit  through  his  mouth  out  at  his  tail,  and  then  take  four,  or 
five,  or  six  split  sticks  or  very  thin  laths,  and  a  convenient 
quantity  of  tape  or  filleting ;  these  laths  are  to  be  tied  round 
about  the  Pike's  body  from  his  head  to  his  tail,  and  the  tape 
tied  somewhat  thick  to  prevent  his  breaking  or  falling  off  from 
the  spit ;  let  him  be  roasted  very  leisurely,  and  often  basted 
with  Claret  wine,  and  Anchovies,  and  Butter  mixed  together, 
and  also  with  what  moisture  falls  from  him  into  the  pan :  when 
you  have  roasted  him  sufficiently,  you  are  to  hold  under  him, 
when  you  unwind  or  cut  the  tape  that  ties  him,  such  a  dish  as 
you  purpose  to  eat  him  out  of ;  and  let  him  fall  into  it  with  the 
sauce  that  is  roasted  in  his  belly,  and  by  this  means  the  Pike 
will  be  kept  unbroken  and  complete :  then,  to  the  sauce  which 
was  within,  and  also  that  sauce  in  the  pan,  you  are  to  add  a  fit 
quantity  of  the  best  Butter,  and  to  squeeze  the  juice  of  three 
or  four  Oranges :  lastly,  you  may  either  put  into  the  Pike  with 
the  Oysters,  two  cloves  of  Garlick,  and  take  it  whole  out,  when 
the  Pike  is  cut  off  the  spit ;  or  to  give  the  sauce  a  haut-godt, 
let  the  dish  into  which  you  let  the  Pike  fall,  be  rubbed  with  it : 
the  using  or  not  using  of  this  garlick  is  left  to  your  discretion. 

M.  B. 

This  dish  of  meat  is  too  good  for  any  but  Anglers,  or  very 
honest  men ;  and  I  trust,  you  will  prove  both,  and  therefore  I 
have  trusted  you  with  this  secret. 

lOO 


How  to  roast  him  when  he  is  caught. 


WITH    DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH   FOR   HIM 

Let  me  next  tell  you,  that  Gesner  tells  us  there  are  no 
Pikes  in  Spain,  and  that  the  largest  are  in  the  lake  Thrasimene 
in  Italy ;  and  the  next,  if  not  equal  to  them,  are  the  Pikes  of 
England,  and  that  in  England,  Lincolnshire  boasteth  to  have 
the  biggest.  Just  so  doth  Sussex  boast  of  four  sorts  of  fish  ; 
namely,  an  Arundel  Mullet,  a  Chichester  Lobster,  a  Shelsey 
Cockle,  and  an  Amerly  Trout. 

But  I  will  take  up  no  more  of  your  time  with  this  relation, 
but  proceed  to  give  you  some  observations  of  the  Carp,  and 
how  to  angle  for  him,  and  to  dress  him,  but  not  till  he  is 
caught 


lOI 


CHAPTER  IX.    OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  CARP,  WITH 
DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Carp  is  the  Queen  of  Rivers :  a  stately,  a  good,  and 
a  very  subtle  fish,  that  was  not  at  first  bred,  nor  hath 
been  long  in  England,  but  is  now  naturalized.     It  is  said, 
they  were  brought  hither  by  one  Mr.  Mascal,  a  gentleman  that 
then  lived  at  Plumsted  in  Sussex,  a  County  that  abounds  more 
with  this  fish  than  any  in  this  nation. 

You  may  remember  that  I  told  you,  Gesner  says,  there  are 
no  Pikes  in  Spain ;  and  doubtless,  there  was  a  time,  about  a 
hundred,  or  a  few  more  years  ago,  when  there  were  no  Carps 
in  England,  as  may  seem  to  be  affirmed  by  Sir  Richard  Baker, 
in  whose  Chronicle  you  may  find  these  verses. 

Hops  and  Turkies,  Carps  and  Beer, 
Came  into  England  all  in  a  year. 

And  doubtless,  as  of  sea-fish  the  Herring  dies  soonest  out 
of  the  water,  and  of  fresh-water-fish  the  Trout,  so,  except  the 
Eel,  the  Carp  endures  most  hardness,  and  lives  longest  out  of 
his  own  proper  element.  And  therefore,  the  report  of  the  Carp's 
being  brought  out  of  a  foreign  country  into  this  nation,  is  the 
more  probable. 

Carps  and  Loaches  are  observed  to  breed  several  months  in 
one  year,  which  Pikes  and  most  other  fish  do  not.  And  this  is 
partly  proved  by  tame  and  wild  Rabbits,  as  also  by  some  Ducks, 
which  will  lay  eggs  nine  of  the  twelve  months,  and  yet  there  be 
other  Ducks  that  lay  not  longer  than  about  one  month.  And  it 
is  the  rather  to  be  believed,  because  you  shall  scarce  or  never 
take  a  Male-Carp  without  a  Melt,  or  a  Female  without  a  Roe  or 
Spawn,  and  for  the  most  part  very  much;  and  especially  all 
102 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   CARP 

the  Summer  season ;  and  it  is  observed,  that  they  breed  more 
naturally  in  ponds  than  in  running  waters,  if  they  breed  there  at 
all ;  and  that  those  that  live  in  rivers,  are  taken  by  men  of  the 
best  palates  to  be  much  the  better  meat. 

And  it  is  observed,  that  in  some  ponds  Carps  will  not  breed, 
especially  in  cold  ponds ;  but  where  they  will  breed,  they  breed 
innumerably :  Aristotle  and  Pliny  say,  six  times  in  a  year,  if  there 
be  no  Pikes  nor  Pearch  to  devour  their  spawn,  when  it  is  cast 
upon  grass,  or  flags,  or  weeds,  where  it  lies  ten  or  twelve  days 
before  it  be  enlivened. 

The  Carp,  if  he  have  water-room  and  good  feed,  will  grow  to 
a  very  great  bigness  and  length :  I  have  heard,  to  be  much  above 
a  yard  long.  'Tis  said,  by  Jovius,  who  hath  writ  of  fishes,  that  in 
the  lake  Lurian  in  Italy,  Carps  have  thriven  to  be  more  than  fifty 
pound  weight;  which  is  the  more  probable,  for  as  the  Bear  is 
conceived  and  born  suddenly,  and  being  born  is  but  short-lived, 
so,  on  the  contrary,  the  Elephant  is  said  to  be  two  years  in  his 
dam's  belly,  some  think  he  is  ten  years  in  it,  and  being  born, 
grows  in  bigness  twenty  years ;  and  'tis  observed  too  that  he 
lives  to  the  age  of  a  hundred  years.  And  'tis  also  observed,  that 
the  Crocodile  is  very  long-lived,  and  more  than  that,  that  all  that 
long  life  he  thrives  in  bigness ;  and  so  I  think  some  Carps  do, 
especially  in  some  places ;  though  I  never  saw  one  above  twenty- 
three  inches,  which  was  a  great  and  goodly  fish ;  but  have  been 
assured  there  are  of  a  far  greater  size,  and  in  England  too. 

Now,  as  the  increase  of  Carps  is  wonderful  for  their  number ; 
so  there  is  not  a  reason  found  out,  I  think  by  any,  why  they 
should  breed  in  some  ponds,  and  not  in  others  of  the  same 
nature  for  soil  and  all  other  circumstances :  and  as  their  breed- 
ing, so  are  their  decays  also  very  mysterious  :  I  have  both  read 
it,  and  been  told  by  a  gentleman  of  tried  honesty,  that  he  has 
known  sixty  or  more  large  Carps  put  into  several  ponds  near 
to  a  house,  where  by  reason  of  the  stakes  in  the  ponds,  and  the 
owner's  constant  being  near  to  them,  it  was  impossible  they 
should  be  stolen  away  from  him:  and  that  when  he  has  after 
three  or  four  years,  emptied  the  pond,  and  expected  an  increase 
from  them  by  breeding  young  ones, — for  that  they  might  do  so, 
he  had,  as  the  rule  is,  put  in  three  melters  for  one  spawner ; — he 
has,  I  say,  after  three  or  four  years,  found  neither  a  young  nor 

Q  103 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE  CARP 

old  Carp  remaining.  And  the  like  I  have  known  of  one  that 
has  almost  watched  the  pond,  and  at  a  like  distance  of  time  at 
the  fishing  of  a  pond,  found  of  seventy  or  eighty  large  Carps 
not  above  five  or  six :  and  that  he  had  forborne  longer  to  fish 
the  said  pond,  but  that  he  saw  in  a  hot  day  in  Summer,  a  large 
Carp  swim  near  the  top  of  the  water  with  a  frog  upon  his  head, 
and  that  he  upon  that  occasion  caused  his  pond  to  be  let  dry : 
and  I  say,  of  seventy  or  eighty  Carps,  only  found  five  or  six  in 
the  said  pond,  and  those  very  sick  and  lean,  and  with  every  one 
a  frog  sticking  so  fast  on  the  head  of  the  said  Carps,  that  the 
frog  would  not  be  got  off  without  extreme  force  or  killing :  and 
the  gentleman  that  did  affirm  this  to  me,  told  me  he  saw  it,  and 
did  declare  his  belief  to  be, — and  I  also  believe  the  same, — that 
he  thought  the  other  Carps  that  were  so  strangely  lost,  were  so 
killed  by  frogs,  and  then  devoured. 

And  a  person  of  honour  now  living,   in  Worcestershire,^ 

assured  me  he  had  seen  a  necklace,  or  collar  of  Tadpoles,  hang 

like  a  chain  or  necklace  of  beads  about  a  Pike's 

neck,  and  to  kill  him ;  whether  it  were  for  meat  or 

malice,  must  be  to  me  a  question. 

But  I  am  fallen  into  this  discourse  by  accident,  of  which 
I  might  say  more,  but  it  has  proved  longer  than  I  intended, 
and  possibly  may  not  to  you  be  considerable ;  I  shall  therefore 
give  you  three  or  four  more  short  observations  of  the  Carp, 
and  then  fall  upon  some  directions  how  you  shall  fish  for  him. 

The  age  of  Carps  is  by  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  in  his  *  History 
of  Life  and  Death,'  observed  to  be  but  ten  years,  yet  others 
think  they  live  longer.  Gesner  says,  a  Carp  has  been  known 
to  live  in  the  Palatinate  above  a  hundred  years :  but  most 
conclude,  that,  contrary  to  the  Pike  or  Luce,  all  Carps  are  the 
better  for  age  and  bigness ;  the  tongues  of  Carps  are  noted  to 
be  choice  and  costly  meat,  especially  to  them  that  buy  them  : 
but  Gesner  says.  Carps  have  no  tongue  like  other  fish,  but  a 
piece  of  flesh-like  fish  in  their  mouth  like  to  a  tongue,  and 
should  be  called  a  palate:  but  it  is  certain  it  is  choicely  good, 
and  that  the  Carp  is  to  be  reckoned  amongst  those  leather- 
mouthed  fish,  which  I  told  you  have  their  teeth  in  their  throat, 
and  for  that  reason  he  is  very  seldom  lost  by  breaking  his 
hold,  if  your  hook  be  once  stuck  into  his  chaps. 
104 


WITH    DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

I  told  you  that  Sir  Francis  Bacon  thinks  that  the  Carp 
lives  but  ten  years,  but  Janus  Dubravius  has  writ  a  book  *0f 
Fish  and  Fish-ponds/  in  which  he  says,  that  Carps  begin  to 
spawn  at  the  age  of  three  years,  and  continue  to  do  so  till 
thirty :  he  says  also,  that  in  the  time  of  their  breeding,  which 
is  in  Summer,  when  the  sun  hath  warmed  both  the  earth  and 
water,  and  so  apted  them  also  for  generation ;  that  then  three 
or  four  male  Carps  will  follow  a  female,  and  that  then  she 
putting  on  a  seeming  coyness,  they  force  her  through  weeds 
and  flags,  where  she  lets  fall  her  eggs  or  spawn,  which  sticks 
fast  to  the  weeds,  and  then  they  let  fall  their  melt  upon  it, 
and  so  it  becomes  in  a  short  time  to  be  a  living  fish  ;  and 
as  I  told  you,  it  is  thought  the  Carp  does  this  several 
months  in  the  year,  and  most  believe  that  most  fish  breed 
after  this  manner,  except  the  Eel:  and  it  has  been  observed, 
that  when  the  Spawner  has  weakened  herself  by  doing  that 
natural  office,  that  two  or  three  Melters  have  helped  her  from  off 
the  weeds  by  bearing  her  up  on  both  sides,  and  guarding  her 
into  the  deep.  And  you  may  note,  that  though  this  may  seem 
a  curiosity  not  worth  observing,  yet  others  have  judged  it  worth 
their  time  and  costs,  to  make  glass-hives,  and  order  them  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  see  how  bees  have  bred  and  made  their 
honey-combs,  and  how  they  have  obeyed  their  king,  and 
governed  their  commonwealth.  But  it  is  thought  that  all  Carps 
are  not  bred  by  generation,  but  that  some  breed  other  ways, 
as  some  Pikes  do. 

The  physicians  make  the  galls  and  stones  in  the  heads  of 
Carps  to  be  very  medicinable;  but  'tis  not  to  be  doubted  but 
that  in  Italy  they  make  great  profit  of  the  spawn  of  Carps, 
by  selling  it  to  the  Jews,  who  make  it  into  Red  Caviare,  the 
Jews  not  being  by  their  law  admitted  to  eat  of  Caviare  made 
of  the  Sturgeon,  that  being  a  fish  that  wants  scales,  and, — as 
may  appear  in  Levit.  xi.  lo, — by  them  reputed  to  be  unclean. 

Much  more  might  be  said  out  of  him,  and  out  of  Aristotle, 
which  Dubravius  often  quotes  in  his  *  Discourse  of  Fishes ' ;  but 
it  might  rather  perplex  than  satisfy  you,  and  therefore  I  shall 
rather  choose  to  direct  you  how  to  catch,  than  spend  more 
time  in  discoursing  either  of  the  nature  or  the  breeding  of 
this  Carp,  or  of  any  more  circumstances  concerning  him;   but 

105 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   CARP 

yet  I   shall  remember  you  of  what  I  told  you  before,  that  he 
is  a  very  subtle  fish,  and  hard  to  be  caught. 

And  my  first  direction  is,  that  if  you  will  fish  for  a  Carp, 
you  must  put  on  a  very  large  measure  of  patience;  especially 
to  fish  for  a  River-Carp :  I  have  known  a  very  good  fisher 
angle  diligently  four  or  six  hours  in  a  day,  for  three  or  four 
days  together,  for  a  River-Carp,  and  not  have  a  bite:  and  you 
are  to  note,  that  in  some  ponds,  it  is  as  hard  to  catch  a  Carp 
as  in  a  river;  that  is  to  say,  where  they  have  store  of  feed, 
and  the  water  is  of  a  clayish  colour :  but  you  are  to  remember, 
that  I  have  told  you  there  is  no  rule  without  an  exception, 
and  therefore  being  possessed  with  that  hope  and  patience, 
which  I  wish  to  all  fishers,  especially  to  the  Carp- Angler,  I  shall 
tell  you  with  what  bait  to  fish  for  him.  But  first  you  are  to 
know,  that  it  must  be  either  early  or  late ;  and  let  me  tell  you, 
that  in  hot  weather,  for  he  will  seldom  bite  in  cold,  you 
cannot  be  too  early  or  too  late  at  it.  And  some  have  been  so 
curious  as  to  say,  the  Tenth  of  April  is  a  fatal  day  for  Carps. 

The  Carp  bites  either  at  worms  or  at  paste,  and  of  worms 
I  think  the  bluish  Marsh  or  Meadow- worm  is  best ;  but  possibly 
another  worm,  not  too  big,  may  do  as  well,  and  so  may  a  Green 
Gentle :  and.  as  for  pastes,  there  are  almost  as  many  sorts  as 
there  are  medicines  for  the  tooth-ache,  but  doubtless  sweet 
pastes  are  best ;  I  mean,  pastes  made  with  honey  or  with 
sugar :  which,  that  you  may  the  better  beguile  this  crafty  fish, 
should  be  thrown  into  the  pond  or  place  in  which  you  fish  for 
him,  some  hours  or  longer  before  you  undertake  your  trial  of 
skill  with  the  angle-rod :  and  doubtless  if  it  be  thrown  into  the 
water  a  day  or  two  before,  at  several  times  and  in  small  pellets, 
you  are  the  likelier  when  you  fish  for  the  Carp  to  obtain  your 
desired  sport :  or  in  a  large  pond,  to  draw  them  to  any  certain 
place,  that  they  may  the  better  and  with  more  hope  be  fished 
for,  you  are  to  throw  into  it,  in  some  certain  place,  either  grains 
or  blood  mixed  with  cow-dung,  or  with  bran;  or  any  garbage, 
as  chicken's  guts  or  the  like,  and  then  some  of  your  small 
sweet  pellets  with  which  you  purpose  to  angle :  and  these  small 
pellets  being  a  few  of  them  also  thrown  in  as  you  are  angling, 
will  be  the  better. 

And  your  paste  must  be  thus  made:  Take  the  flesh  of  a 

io6 


WITH   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

rabbit  or  cat  cut  small,  and  bean-flour,  and  if  that  may  not  be 
easily  got,  get  other  flour,  and  then  mix  these  together,  and 
put  to  them  either  sugar,  or  honey,  which  I  think  better,  and 
then  beat  these  together  in  a  mortar,  or  sometimes  work  them 
in  your  hands,  your  hands  being  very  clean,  and  then  make  it 
into  a  ball,  or  two,  or  three,  as  you  like  best  for  your  use ;  but 
you  must  work  or  pound  it  so  long  in  the  mortar,  as  to  make 
it  so  tough  as  to  hang  upon  your  hook  without  washing  from 
it,  yet  not  too  hard;  or  that  you  may  the  better  keep  it  on 
your  hook,  you  may  knead  with  your  paste  a  little,  and  not 
much,  white  or  yellowish  wool. 

And  if  you  would  have  this  paste  keep  all  the  year  for  any 
other  fish,  then  mix  with  it  virgin-wax  and  clarified  honey, 
and  work  them  together  with  your  hands  before  the  fire,  then 
make  these  into  balls,  and  they  will  keep  all  the  year. 

And  if  you  fish  for  a  Carp  with  Gentles,  then  put  upon  your 
hook,  a  small  piece  of  scarlet  about  this  bigness  Qj  it  being 
soaked  in,  or  anointed  with  Oil  of  Peter,  called  by  some  Oil  of 
the  Rock ;  and  if  your  gentles  be  put  two  or  three  days  before, 
into  a  box  or  horn  anointed  with  honey,  and  so  put  upon  your 
hook  as  to  preserve  them  to  be  living,  you  are  as  like  to  kill 
this  crafty  fish  this  way  as  any  other;  but  still  as  you  are 
fishing,  chew  a  little  white  or  brown  bread  in  your  mouth,  and 
cast  it  into  the  pond  about  the  place  where  your  float  swims. 
Other  baits  there  be,  but  these  with  diligence,  and  patient 
watchfulness,  will  do  it  better  than  any  that  I  have  ever  prac- 
tised, or  heard  of:  And  yet  I  shall  tell  you,  that  the  crumbs  of 
white  bread  a,nd  honey  made  into  a  paste,  is  a  good  bait  for  a 
Carp,  and  you  know  it  is  more  easily  made.  And  having  said 
thus  much  of  the  Carp,  my  next  discourse  shall  be  of  the  Bream, 
which  shall  not  prove  so  tedious,  and  therefore  I  desire  the 
continuance  of  your  attention. 

But  first  I  will  tell  you  how  to  make  this  Carp,  that  is 
so  curious  to  be  caught,  so  curious  a  dish  of  meat,  as  shall 
make  him  worth  all  your  labour  and  patience:  and  though  it 
is  not  without  some  trouble  and  charges,  yet  it  will  recompense 
both. 

Take  a  Carp,  alive  if  possible,  scour  him,  and  rub  him  clean 
with  water  and  salt,  but  scale  him  not ;  then  open  him,  and  put 

107 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   CARP 

him  with  his  blood  and  his  liver,  which  you  must  save  when  you 
open  him,  into  a  small  pot  or  kettle  ;  then  take  Sweet-marjoram, 
Thyme,  and  Parsley,  of  each  half  a  handful,  a  sprig  of  Rose- 
mary, and  another  of  Savory,  bind  them  into  two  or  three  small 
bundles,  and  put  them  to  your  Carp,  with  four  or  five  whole 
Onions,  twenty  pickled  Oysters,  and  three  Anchovies.  Then 
pour  upon  your  Carp  as  much  Claret  wine  as  will  only  cover 
him ;  and  season  your  claret  well  with  salt,  cloves,  and  mace, 
and  the  rinds  of  oranges  and  lemons  ;  that  done,  cover  your  pot 
and  set  it  on  a  quick  fire,  till  it  be  sufficiently  boiled  ;  then  take 
out  the  Carp,  and  lay  it  with  the  broth  into  the  dish,  and  pour 
upon  it  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  the  best  fresh  butter,  melted 
and  beaten  with  half  a  dozen  spoonfuls  of  the  broth,  the  yolks 
of  two  or  three  eggs,  and  some  of  the  herbs  shred  ;  garnish 
your  dish  with  lemons,  and  so  serve  it  up,  and  much  good  do 
you.  Dr.  T. 


io8 


CHAPTER  X.     OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  BREAM,  AND 
DIRECTIONS  TO   CATCH    HIM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Bream  being  at  a  full  growth,  is  a  large  and  stately 
fish :  he  will  breed  both  in  rivers  and  ponds ;  but  loves 
best  to  live  in  ponds,  and  where,  if  he  likes  the  water 
and  air,  he  will  grow  not  only  to  be  very  large,  but  as  fat  as  a 
hog :  he  is  by  Gesner  taken  to  be  more  pleasant  or  sweet  than 
wholesome  :  this  fish  is  long  in  growing,  but  breeds  exceedingly 
in  a  water  that  pleases  him ;  yea,  in  many  ponds  so  fast,  as  to 
over-store  them,  and  starve  the  other  fish. 

He  is  very  broad  with  a  forked  tail,  and  his  scales  set  in 
excellent  order ;  he  hath  large  eyes,  and  a  narrow  sucking 
mouth ;  he  hath  two  sets  of  teeth,  and  a  lozenge-like  bone,  a 
bone  to  help  his  grinding.  The  Melter  is  observed  to  have  two 
large  melts,  and  the  female  two  large  bags  of  eggs  or  spawn. 

Gesner  reports,  that  in  Poland,  a  certain  and  a  great  number 
of  large  Breams  were  put  into  a  pond,  which  in  the  next 
following  Winter  were  frozen  up  into  one  entire  ice,  and  not 
one  drop  of  water  remaining,  nor  one  of  these  fish  to  be  found, 
though  they  were  diligently  searched  for ;  and  yet  the  next 
Spring  when  the  ice  was  thawed,  and  the  weather  warm,  and 
fresh  water  got  into  the  pond,  he  affirms  they  all  appeared 
again.  This  Gesner  affirms,  and  I  quote  my  author,  because  it 
seems  almost  as  incredible  as  the  resurrection  to  an  atheist. 
But  it  may  win  something  in  point  of  believing  it,  to  him  that 
considers  the  breeding  or  renovation  of  the  silk-worm,  and  of 
many  insects.  And  that  is  considerable  which  Sir  Francis 
Bacon  observes  in  his  *  History  of  Life  and  Death,*  fol.  20,  that 
there  be  some  herbs  that  die  and  spring  every  year,  and  some 
endure  longer. 

109 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE   BREAM 

But  though  some  do  not,  yet  the  French  esteem  this  fish 
highly,  and  to  that  end  have  this  proverb,  *  He  that  hath  Breams 
in  his  pond,  is  able  to  bid  his  friend  welcome.'  And  it  is  noted, 
that  the  best  part  of  a  Bream  is  his  belly  and  head. 

Some  say,  that  Breams  and  Roaches  will  mix  their  eggs 
and  melt  together,  and  so  there  is  in  many  places  a  bastard 
breed  of  Breams,  that  never  come  to  be  either  large  or  good, 
but  very  numerous. 

The  baits  good  to  catch  this  Bream,  are  many.  i.  Paste 
made  of  brown  bread  and  honey,  Gentles,  or  the  brood  of 
wasps  that  be  young,  and  then  not  unlike  gentles,  and  should 
be  hardened  in  an  oven,  or  dried  on  a  tile  before  the  fire  to 
make  them  tough ;  or  there  is  at  the  root  of  docks  or  flags, 
or  rushes  in  watery  places,  a  worm  not  unlike  a  maggot,  at 
which  Tench  will  bite  freely.  Or  he  will  bite  at  a  Grashopper 
with  his  legs  nipped  off  in  June  and  July,  or  at  several  flies 
under  water,  which  may  be  found  on  flags  that  grow  near  to 
the  water-side.  I  doubt  not  but  that  there  be  many  other 
baits  that  are  good,  but  I  will  turn  them  all  into  this  most 
excellent  one,  either  for  a  Carp  or  Bream,  in  any  river  or  mere : 
it  was  given  to  me  by  a  most  honest  and  excellent  Angler,  and 
hoping  you  will  prove  both,  I  will  impart  it  to  you. 

1.  Let  your  bait  be  as  big  a  Red-worm  as  you  can  find, 
without  a  knot ;  get  a  pint  or  quart  of  them  in  an  evening  in 
garden  walks,  or  chalky  commons,  after  a  shower  of  rain ;  and 
put  them  with  clean  moss  well  washed  and  picked,  and  the 
water  squeezed  out  of  the  moss  as  dry  as  you  can,  into  an 
earthen  pot  or  pipkin  set  dry,  and  change  the  moss  fresh  every 
three  or  four  days  for  three  weeks  or  a  month  together ;  then 
your  bait  will  be  at  the  best,  for  it  will  be  clear  and  lively. 

2.  Having  thus  prepared  your  baits,  get  your  tackling  ready 
and  fitted  for  this  sport.  Take  three  long  angling-rods,  and  as 
many  and  more  silk,  or  silk  and  hair  lines,  and  as  many  large 

swan  or  goose-quill  floats.    Then  take  a  piece  of  lead 
made  after  this  manner,  and  fasten  them  to  the  low- 
ends  of  your  lines.    Then  fasten  your  link-hook  also  to 
the  lead,  and  let  there  be  about  a  foot  or  ten  inches 
between  the  lead  and  the  hook,  but  be  sure  the  lead  be  heavy 
enough  to  sink  the  float  or  quill  a  little  under  the  water,  and 
no 


AND   DIRECTIONS   TO   CATCH    HIM 

not  the  quill  to  bear  up  the  lead,  for  the  lead  must  lie  on  the 
ground.  Note,  that  your  link  next  the  hook  may  be  smaller 
than  the  rest  of  your  line,  if  you  dare  adventure,  for  fear  of 
taking  the  Pike  or  Pearch,  who  will  assuredly  visit  your  hooks, 
till  they  be  taken  out,  as  I  will  shew  you  afterwards,  before 
either  Carp  or  Bream  will  come  near  to  bite.  Note  also,  that 
when  the  worm  is  well  baited,  it  will  crawl  up  and  down,  as 
far  as  the  lead  will  give  leave,  which  much  enticeth  the  fish  to 
bite  without  suspicion. 

3.  Having  thus  prepared  your  baits,  and  fitted  your  tackling, 
repair  to  the  river,  where  you  have  seen  them  to  swim  in  skuls 
or  shoals  in  the  Summer  time  in  a  hot  afternoon,  about  three 
or  four  of  the  clock,  and  watch  their  going  forth  of  their  deep 
holes  and  returning,  which  you  may  well  discern,  for  they 
return  about  four  of  the  clock,  most  of  them  seeking  food  at 
the  bottom,  yet  one  or  two  will  lie  on  the  top  of  the  water, 
rolling  and  tumbling  themselves  whilst  the  rest  are  under  him 
at  the  bottom,  and  so  you  shall  perceive  him  to  keep  sentinel ; 
then  mark  where  he  plays  most,  and  stays  longest,  which 
commonly  is  in  the  broadest  and  deepest  place  of  the  river, 
and  there,  or  near  thereabouts,  at  a  clear  bottom,  and  a  con- 
venient landing-place,  take  one  of  your  angles  ready  fitted  as 
aforesaid,  and  sound  the  bottom,  which  should  be  about  eight 
or  ten  feet  deep ;  two  yards  from  the  bank  is  the  best.  Then 
consider  with  yourself  whether  that  water  will  rise  or  fall  by 
the  next  morning,  by  reason  of  any  water-mills  near,  and 
according  to  your  discretion  take  the  depth  of  the  place, 
where  you  mean  after  to  cast  your  ground-bait,  and  to  fish,  to 
half  an  inch ;  that  the  lead  lying  on,  or  near  the  ground-bait, 
the  top  of  the  float  may  only  appear  upright  half  an  inch  above 
the  water. 

Thus  you  having  found  and  fitted  for  the  place  and  depth 
thereof,  then  go  home  and  prepare  your  ground-bait,  which  is 
next  to  the  fruit  of  your  labours,  to  be  regarded. 

THE  GROUND-BAIT 

You  shall  take  a  peck,  or  a  peck  and  a  half,  according  to 
the  greatness  of  the  stream,  and  deepness  of  the  water,  where 

R  III 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   BREAM 

you  mean  to  angle,  of  sweet  gross-ground  barley-malt,  and  boil 
it  in  a  kettle ;  one  or  two  warms  is  enough  ;  then  strain  it 
through  a  bag  into  a  tub,  the  liquor  whereof  hath  often  done 
my  horse  much  good,  and  when  the  bag  and  malt  is  near  cold, 
take  it  down  to  the  water-side  about  eight  or  nine  of  the  clock 
in  the  evening,  and  not  before  :  cast  in  two  parts  of  your  ground- 
bait,  squeezed  hard  between  both  your  hands,  it  will  sink 
presently  to  the  bottom,  and  be  sure  it  may  rest  in  the  very 
place  where  you  mean  to  angle :  if  the  stream  run  hard,  or 
move  a  little,  cast  your  malt  in  handfuls  a  little  the  higher, 
upwards  the  stream.  You  may  between  your  hands  close  the 
malt  so  fast  in  handfuls,  that  the  water  will  hardly  part  it  with 
the  fall. 

Your  ground  thus  baited,  and  tackling  fitted,  leave  your 
bag  with  the  rest  of  your  tackling  and  ground-bait  near  the 
sporting-place  all  night,  and  in  the  morning  about  three  or  four 
of  the  clock  visit  the  water-side,  but  not  too  near,  for  they  have 
a  cunning  watchman,  and  are  watchful  themselves  too. 

Then  gently  take  one  of  your  three  rods,  and  bait  your 
hook,  casting  it  over  your  ground-bait,  and  gently  and  secretly 
draw  it  to  you,  till  the  lead  rests  about  the  middle  of  the 
ground-bait. 

Then  take  a  second  rod  and  cast  in  about  a  yard  above, 
and  your  third  a  yard  below  the  first  rod,  and  stay  the  rods  in 
the  ground,  but  go  yourself  so  far  from  the  water-side,  that  you 
perceive  nothing  but  the  top  of  the  floats,  which  you  must 
watch  most  diligently;  then,  when  you  have  a  bite,  you  shall 
perceive  the  top  of  your  float  to  sink  suddenly  into  the  water ; 
yet  nevertheless  be  not  too  hasty  to  run  to  your  rods,  until  you 
see  that  the  line  goes  clear  away,  then  creep  to  the  water-side, 
and  give  as  much  line  as  possibly  you  can  :  if  it  be  a  good  Carp 
or  Bream,  they  will  go  to  the  farther  side  of  the  river,  then 
strike  gently,  and  hold  your  rod  at  a  bent  a  little  while ;  but 
if  you  both  pull  together,  you  are  sure  to  lose  your  game,  for 
either  your  line,  or  hook,  or  hold  will  break  ;  and  after  you  have 
overcome  them,  they  will  make  noble  sport,  and  are  very  shy 
to  be  landed.  The  Carp  is  far  stronger  and  more  mettlesome 
than  the  Bream. 

Much  more  is  to  be  observed  in  this  kind  of  fish  and  fishing, 

112 


Go  yourself  so  far  from  the  water-side,  that  you  perceive  nothing  but  the  top  of  the  floats, 
which  you  must  watch  most  diligently. 


AND   DIRECTIONS   TO   CATCH    HIM 

but  it  is  far  fitter  for  experience  and  discourse  than  paper. 
Only  thus  much  is  necessary  for  you  to  know,  and  to  be  mindful 
and  careful  of;  that  if  the  Pike  or  Pearch  do  breed  in  that 
river,  they  will  be  sure  to  bite  first,  and  must  first  be  taken. 
And  for  the  most  part  they  are  very  large,  and  will  repair  to 
your  ground-bait,  not  that  they  will  eat  of  it,  but  will  feed  and 
sport  themselves  amongst  the  young  fry,  that  gather  about  and 
hover  over  the  bait. 

The  way  to  discern  the  Pike  and  to  take  him,  if  you  mis- 
trust your  Bream-hook, — for  I  have  taken  a  Pike  a  yard  long 
several  times  at  my  Bream-hooks,  and  sometimes  he  hath  had 
the  luck  to  share  my  line, — may  be  thus : 

Take  a  small  Bleak,  or  Roach,  or  Gudgeon,  and  bait  it, 
and  set  it  alive  among  your  rods  two  foot  deep  from  the  cork, 
with  a  little  red-worm  on  the  point  of  the  hook ;  then  take  a 
few  crums  of  white-bread,  or  some  of  the  ground-bait,  and 
sprinkle  it  gently  amongst  your  rods.  If  Mr.  Pike  be  there, 
then  the  little  fish  will  skip  out  of  the  water  at  his  appearance, 
but  the  live-set  bait  is  sure  to  be  taken. 

Thus  continue  your  sport  from  four  in  the  morning  till  eight, 
and  if  it  be  a  gloomy,  windy  day,  they  will  bite  all  day  long. 
But  this  is  too  long  to  stand  to  your  rods  at  one  place,  and  it 
will  spoil  your  evening-sport  that  day,  which  is  this. 

About  four  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon  repair  to  your 
baited  place ;  and  as  soon  as  you  come  to  the  water-side,  cast 
in  one  half  of  the  rest  of  your  ground-bait,  and  stand  off :  then 
whilst  the  fish  are  gathering  together,  for  there  they  will  most 
certainly  come  for  their  supper,  you  may  take  a  pipe  of  tobacco ; 
and  then  in  with  your  three  rods  as  in  the  morning :  You  will 
find  excellent  sport  that  evening  till  eight  of  the  clock ;  then 
cast  in  the  residue  of  your  ground-bait,  and  next  morning  by 
four  of  the  clock,  visit  them  again  for  four  hours,  which  is  the 
best  sport  of  all ;  and  after  that,  let  them  rest  till  you  and  your 
friends  have  a  mind  to  more  sport. 

From  St.  James's-tide  until  Bartholomew-tide  is  the  best; 
when  they  have  had  all  the  Summer's  food,  they  are  the 
fattest. 

Observe  lastly,  that  after  three  or  four  days'  fishing  together, 
your  game  will  be  very  shy  and  wary;  and  you  shall  hardly 

113 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   BREAM 

get  above  a  bite  or  two  at  a  baiting ;  then  your  only  way  is  to 
desist  from  your  sport  about  two  or  three  days ;  and  in  the 
mean  time,  on  the  place  you  late  baited,  and  again  intend  to 
bait — you  shall  take  a  turf  of  green,  but  short  grass,  as  big  or 
bigger  than  a  round  trencher ;  to  the  top  of  this  turf,  on  the 
green  side,  you  shall  with  a  needle  and  green  thread  fasten 
one  by  one  as  many  little  red-worms  as  will  near  cover  all  the 
turf:  Then  take  a  round  board  or  trencher,  make  a  hole  in  the 
middle  thereof,  and  through  the  turf,  placed  on  the  board  or 
trencher,  with  a  string  or  cord  as  long  as  is  fitting,  tied  to  a 
pole,  let  it  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  water  for  the  fish  to 
feed  upon  without  disturbance  about  two  or  three  days ;  and 
after  that  you  have  drawn  it  away,  you  may  fall  to,  and  enjoy 
your  former  recreation.  B.  A. 


114 


CHAPTER  XI.     OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  TENCH, 
AND  ADVICE   HOW  TO   ANGLE   FOR   HIM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Tench,  the  Physician  of  fishes,   is  observed  to  love 
ponds  better  than  rivers,  and  to  love  pits  better  than 
either;  yet  Camden  observes  there  is  a  river  in  Dorset- 
shire that  abounds  with  Tenches,  but  doubtless  they  retire  to 
the  most  deep  and  quiet  places  in  it. 

This  fish  hath  very  large  fins,  very  small  and  smooth  scales, 
a  red  circle  about  his  eyes,  which  are  big  and  of  a  gold  colour, 
and  from  either  angle  of  his  mouth  there  hangs  down  a  little 
barb:  in  every  Tench's  head  there  are  two  little  stones,  which 
foreign  physicians  make  great  use  of ;  but  he  is  not  commended 
for  wholesome  meat,  though  there  be  very  much  use  made  of 
them,  for  outward  applications.  Rondeletius  says,  that  at  his 
being  at  Rome,  he  saw  a  great  cure  done  by  applying  a  Tench 
to  the  feet  of  a  very  sick  man.  This  he  says,  was  done  after 
an  unusual  manner  by  certain  Jews.  And  it  is  observed,  that 
many  of  those  people  have  many  secrets,  yet  unknown  to 
Christians ;  secrets  that  have  never  yet  been  written,  but  have 
been  since  the  days  of  their  Solomon,  who  knew  the  nature  of 
all  things,  even  from  the  cedar  to  the  shrub,  delivered  by 
tradition  from  the  father  to  the  son,  and  so  from  generation  to 
generation  without  writing,  or  unless  it  were  casually,  without 
the  least  communicating  them  to  any  other  nation  or  tribe :  for 
to  do  that,  they  account  a  profanation.  And  yet  it  is  thought 
that  they,  or  some  spirit  worse  than  they,  first  told  us,  that  lice 
swallowed  alive  were  a  certain  cure  for  the  Yellow-Jaundice. 
This,  and  many  other  medicines  were  discovered  by  them  or  by 
revelation ;  for,  doubtless,  we  attained  them  not  by  study. 

Well,  this  fish,  besides  his  eating,  is  very  useful  both  dead 

115 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE  TENCH 

and  alive,  for  the  good  of  mankind.  But  I  will  meddle  no  more 
with  that,  my  honest  humble  art  teaches  no  such  boldness ; 
there  are  too  many  foolish  meddlers  in  physic  and  divinity,  that 
think  themselves  fit  to  meddle  with  hidden  secrets,  and  so  bring 
destruction  to  their  followers.  But  I  '11  not  meddle  with  them 
any  farther  than  to  wish  them  wiser;  and  shall  tell  you  next, 
for,  I  hope,  I  may  be  so  bold,  that  the  Tench  is  the  physician 
of  fishes,  for  the  Pike  especially ;  and  that  the  Pike,  being 
either  sick  or  hurt,  is  cured  by  the  touch  of  the  Tench.  And 
it  is  observed,  that  the  tyrant  Pike  will  not  be  a  wolf  to  his 
physician,  but  forbears  to  devour  him  though  he  be  never  so 
hungry. 

This  fish,  that  carries  a  natural  balsam  in  him  to  cure  both 
himself  and  others,  loves  yet  to  feed  in  very  foul  water,  and 
amongst  weeds.  And  yet  I  am  sure  he  eats  pleasantly,  and, 
doubtless,  you  will  think  so  too,  if  you  taste  him.  And  I  shall 
therefore  proceed  to  give  you  some  few,  and  but  a  few,  direc- 
tions how  to  catch  this  Tench,  of  which  I  have  given  you  these 
observations. 

He  will  bite  at  a  Paste  made  of  brown  bread  and  honey,  or 
at  a  Marsh-worm,  or  a  Lob-worm ;  he  inclines  very  much  to  any 
paste  with  which  tar  is  mixed,  and  he  will  bite  also  at  a  smaller 
worm,  with  his  head  nipped  off,  and  a  Cod-worm  put  on  the 
hook  before  that  worm ;  and  I  doubt  not  but  that  he  will  also 
in  the  three  hot  months, — for  in  the  nine  colder  he  stirs  not 
much, — bite  at  a  Flag- worm,  or  at  a  Green  Gentle,  but  can 
positively  say  no  more  of  the  Tench,  he  being  a  fish  that  I  have 
not  often  angled  for,  but  I  wish  my  honest  Scholar  may,  and 
be  ever  fortunate  when  he  fishes. 


Ii6 


CHAPTER    XII.      OBSERVATIONS    OF    THE    PEARCH, 
AND   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH   FOR  HIM 

PISCATOR  AND  VENATOR 

PISCATOR.  The  Pearch  is  a  very  good,  and  a  very  bold- 
biting  fish :  he  is  one  of  the  fishes  of  prey,  that,  like  the 
Pike  and  Trout,  carries  his  teeth  in  his  mouth ;  which 
is  very  large,  and  he  dare  venture  to  kill  and  devour  several 
other  kinds  of  fish :  he  has  a  hooked,  or  hog  back,  which  is 
armed  with  sharp  and  stiff  bristles,  and  all  his  skin  armed  or 
covered  over  with  thick,  dry,  hard  scales,  and  hath,  which  few 
other  fish  have,  two  fins  on  his  back :  he  is  so  bold,  that  he 
will  invade  one  of  his  own  kind,  which  the  Pike  will  not  do  so 
willingly,  and,  you  may  therefore  easily  believe  him  to  be  a 
bold  biter. 

The  Pearch  is  of  great  esteem  in  Italy,  saith  Aldrovandus, 
and  especially  the  least  are  there  esteemed  a  dainty  dish.  And 
Gesner  prefers  the  Pearch  and  Pike  above  the  Trout,  or  any 
fresh-water  fish :  he  says,  the  Germans  have  this  Proverb, 
*  More  wholesome  than  a  Pearch  of  Rhine ' :  and  he  says  the 
River-Pearch  is  so  wholesome,  that  physicians  allow  him  to  be 
eaten  by  wounded  men,  or  by  men  in  fevers,  or  by  women  in 
child-bed. 

He  spawns  but  once  a  year,  and  is  by  physicians  held  very 
nutritive ;  yet  by  many  to  be  hard  of  digestion :  they  abound 
more  in  the  River  Po  and  in  England,  says  Rondeletius,  than 
other  parts,  and  have  in  their  brain  a  stone  which  is  in  foreign 
parts  sold  by  apothecaries,  being  there  noted  to  be  very  medi- 
cinable  against  the  stone  in  the  reins :  these  be  a  part  of  the 
commendations  which  some  philosophical  brains  have  bestowed 
upon  the  fresh-water  Pearch :  yet  they  commend  the  Sea- 
Pearch,  which  is  known  by  having  but  one  fin  on  his  back, — 
s  117 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   PEARCH 

of  which  they  say,  we  English  see  but  a  few, — to  be  a  much 
better  fish. 

The  Pearch  grows  slowly,  yet  will  grow,  as  I  have  been 
credibly  informed,  to  be  almost  two  foot  long ;  for  an  honest 
informer  told  me,  such  a  one  was  not  long  since  taken  by  Sir 
Abraham  Williams,  a  gentleman  of  worth,  and  a  Brother  of  the 
Angle,  that  yet  lives,  and  I  wish  he  may :  this  was  a  deep- 
bodied  fish :  and  doubtless  durst  have  devoured  a  Pike  of  half 
his  own  length :  for  I  have  told  you,  he  is  a  bold  fish,  such  a 
one  as,  but  for  extreme  hunger,  the  Pike  will  not  devour :  for 
to  affright  the  Pike,  and  save  himself,  the  Pearch  will  set  up 
his  fins,  much  like  as  a  Turkey-Cock  will  sometimes  set  up 
his  tail. 

But,  my  Scholar,  the  Pearch  is  not  only  valiant  to  defend 
himself,  but  he  is,  as  I  said,  a  bold-biting  fish,  yet  he  will  not 
bite  at  all  seasons  of  the  year ;  he  is  very  abstemious  in  Winter, 
yet  will  bite  then  in  the  midst  of  the  day,  if  it  be  warm :  and 
note,  that  all  fish  bite  best  about  the  midst  of  a  warm  day  in 
Winter,  and  he  hath  been  observed  by  some,  not  usually  to 
bite  till  the  Mulberry-tree  buds ;  that  is  to  say,  till  extreme 
frosts  be  past  the  Spring ;  for  when  the  Mulberry-tree  blossoms, 
many  Gardeners  observe  their  forward  fruit  to  be  past  the 
danger  of  frosts,  and  some  have  made  the  like  observation  of 
the  Pearch's  biting. 

But  bite  the  Pearch  will,  and  that  very  boldly :  and  as  one 
has  wittily  observed,  if  there  be  twenty  or  forty  in  a  hole,  they 
may  be  at  one  standing  all  catched  one  after  another ;  they 
being,  as  he  says,  like  the  wicked  of  the  world,  not  afraid, 
though  their  fellows  and  companions  perish  in  their  sight. 
And  you  may  observe,  that  they  are  not  like  the  solitary  Pike ; 
but  love  to  accompany  one  another,  and  march  together  in 
troops. 

And  the  baits  for  this  bold  fish,  are  not  many ;  I  mean,  he 
will  bite  as  well  at  some,  or  at  any  of  these  three,  as  at  any,  or 
all  others  whatsoever,  a  Worm,  a  Minnow,  or  a  little  Frog,  of 
which  you  may  find  many  in  hay-time  :  and  of  worms,  the  Dung- 
hill-worm, called  a  Brandling,  I  take  to  be  best,  being  well 
scoured  in  moss  or  fennel ;  or  he  will  bite  at  a  worm  that  lies 
under  cow-dung  with  a  bluish  head.  And  if  you  rove  for  a 
ii8 


AND   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

Pearch  with  a  Minnow,  then  it  is  best  to  be  alive,  you  sticking 
your  hook  through  his  back-fin  ;  or  a  Minnow  with  the  hook 
in  his  upper  lip,  and  letting  him  swim  up  and  down  about  mid- 
water,  or  a  little  lower,  and  you  still  keeping  him  to  about  that 
depth,  by  a  cork,  which  ought  not  to  be  a  very  little  one :  and 
the  like  way  you  are  to  fish  for  the  Pearch,  with  a  small  Frog, 
your  hook  being  fastened  through  the  skin  of  his  leg,  towards 
the  upper  part  of  it :  and  lastly,  I  will  give  you  but  this  advice, 
that  you  give  the  Pearch  time  enough  when  he  bites,  for  there 
was  scarce  ever  any  Angler  that  has  given  him  too  much.  And 
now  I  think  best  to  rest  myself,  for  I  have  almost  spent  my 
spirits  with  talking  so  long. 

Venator.  Nay,  good  Master,  one  fish  more,  for  you  see  it 
rains  still,  and  you  know  our  Angles  are  like  money  put  to 
usury ;  they  may  thrive,  though  we  sit  still  and  do  nothing  but 
talk  and  enjoy  one  another.  Come,  come,  the  other  fish,  good 
Master. 

Pisc.  But,  Scholar,  have  you  nothing  to  mix  with  this 
discourse,  which  now  grows  both  tedious  and  tiresome  ?  Shall 
I  have  nothing  from  you,  that  seem  to  have  both  a  good  memory 
and  a  cheerful  spirit  ? 

Ven.  Yes,  Master,  I  will  speak  you  a  copy  of  verses  that 
were  made  by  Doctor  Donne,  and  made  to  shew  the  world  that 
he  could  make  soft  and  smooth  verses  when  he  thought  smooth- 
ness worth  his  labour ;  and  I  love  them  the  better,  because  they 
allude  to  rivers,  and  fish,  and  fishing.    They  be  these : 

Come  live  with  me,  and  be  my  love, 
And  we  will  some  new  pleasures  prove, 
Of  golden  sands,  and  crystal  brooks. 
With  silken  lines,  and  silver  hooks. 

There  will  the  river  whisp'ring  run, 
Warm'd  by  thy  eyes  more  than  the  Sun ; 
And  there  the  enamell'd  fish  will  stay, 
Begging  themselves  they  may  betray. 

When  thou  wilt  swim  in  that  live  bath, 
Each  fish,  which  ev'ry  channel  hath. 
Most  am'rously  to  thee  will  swim, 
Gladder  to  catch  thee,  than  thou  him. 

119 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   PEARCH 

If  thou,  to  be  so  seen,  be'st  loath. 
By  sun  or  moon,  thou  dark'nest  both; 
And  if  mine  eyes  have  leave  to  see, 
I  need  not  their  light,  having  thee. 

Let  others  freeze  with  Angling-reeds, 

And  cut  their  legs  with  shells  and  weeds;— 

Or  treach'rously  poor  fish  beset, 

With  strangling  snares,  or  windowy  net : — 

Let  coarse  bold  hands,  from  slimy  nest, 
The  bedded  fish  in  banks  outwrest;— 
Let  curious  traitors  sleave  silk  flies. 
To  'witch  poor  wand'ring  fishes  eyes  :— 

For  thee,  thou  need'st  no  such  deceit, 
For  thou  thyself  art  thine  own  bait : 
That  fish  that  is  not  catch'd  thereby, 
Is  wiser  far,  Alas!  than  I. 

Pisc.  Well  remembered,  honest  Scholar,  I  thank  you  for 
these  choice  verses,  which  I  have  heard  formerly,  but  had  quite 
forgot,  till  they  were  recovered  by  your  happy  memory.  Well, 
being  I  have  now  rested  myself  a  little,  I  will  make  you  some 
requital,  by  telling  you  some  observations  of  the  Eel,  for  it 
rains  still,  and  because,  as  you  say,  our  Angles  are  as  money 
put  to  use,  that  thrives  when  we  play,  therefore  we'll  sit  still 
and  enjoy  ourselves  a  little  longer  under  this  honey-suckle- 
hedge. 


I20 


CHAPTER  XIII.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  EEL,  AND 
OTHER  FISH  THAT  WANT  SCALES,  AND  HOW 
TO   FISH   FOR  THEM 

PISCATOR 

IT  is  agreed  by  most  men,  that  the  Eel  is  a  most  dainty  fish ; 
the  Romans  have  esteemed  her  the  Helena  of  their  feasts, 

and  some  the  Queen  of  palate-pleasure.  But  most  men 
differ  about  their  breeding:  some  say  they  breed  by  genera- 
tion as  other  fish  do,  and  others,  that  they  breed  as  some 
worms  do,  of  mud,  as  rats  and  mice,  and  many  other  living 
creatures  are  bred  in  Egypt,  by  the  Sun's  heat  when  it  shines 
upon  the  overflowing  of  the  river  Nilus :  or  out  of  the  putre- 
faction of  the  earth,  and  divers  other  ways.  Those  that  deny 
them  to  breed  by  generation  as  other  fish  do,  ask,  if  any  man 
ever  saw  an  Eel  to  have  a  spawn  or  melt?  and  they  are 
answered,  that  they  may  be  as  certain  of  their  breeding  as  if 
they  had  seen  them  spawn :  for  they  say,  that  they  are  certain 
that  Eels  have  all  parts  fit  for  generation,  like  other  fish,  but 
so  small  as  not  to  be  easily  discerned,  by  reason  of  their  fat- 
ness, but  that  discerned  they  may  be,  and  that  the  he  and  the 
she-Eel  may  be  distinguished  by  their  fins.  And  Rondeletius 
says,  he  has  seen  Eels  cling  together  like  dew-worms. 

And  others  say,  that  Eels  growing  old,  breed  other  Eels 
out  of  the  corruption  of  their  own  age,  which  Sir  Francis  Bacon 
says,  exceeds  not  ten  years.  And  others  say,  that  as  pearls  are 
made  of  glutinous  dew-drops,  which  are  condensed  by  the  Sun's 
heat  in  those  countries,  so  Eels  are  bred  of  a  particular  dew, 
falling  in  the  months  of  May  or  June  on  the  banks  of  some 
particular  ponds  or  rivers,— apted  by  nature  for  that  end,— 
which  in  a  few  days  are  by  the  Sun's  heat  turned  into  Eels; 
and  some  of  the  ancients  have  called  the  Eels  that  are  thus 

121 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   EEL 

bred,  the  Offspring  of  Jove.  I  have  seen  in  the  beginning  of 
July,  in  a  river  not  far  from  Canterbury,  some  parts  of  it 
covered  over  with  young  Eels,  about  the  thickness  of  a  straw ; 
and  these  Eels  did  lie  on  the  top  of  that  water,  as  thick  as 
motes  are  said  to  be  in  the  Sun:  and  I  have  heard  the  like 
of  other  rivers,  as  namely  in  Severn, — where  they  are  called 
Yelvers, — and  in  a  pond  or  mere  near  unto  Staffordshire,  where 
about  a  set  time  in  Summer,  such  small  Eels  abound  so  much, 
that  many  of  the  poorer  sort  of  people,  that  inhabit  near  to  it, 
take  such  Eels  out  of  this  mere,  with  sieves  or  sheets,  and 
make  a  kind  of  Eel-cake  of  them,  and  eat  it  like  as  bread. 
And  Gesner  quotes  Venerable  Bede  to  say,  that  in  England 
there  is  an  Island  called  Ely,  by  reason  of  the  innumerable 
number  of  Eels  that  breed  in  it.  But  that  Eels  may  be  bred 
as  some  worms,  and  some  kind  of  Bees  and  Wasps  are,  either 
of  dew,  or  out  of  the  corruption  of  the  earth,  seems  to  be  made 
probable  by  the  Barnacles  and  young  Goslings  bred  by  the 
Sun's  heat,  and  the  rotten  planks  of  an  old  Ship,  and  hatched 
of  trees ;  both  which  are  related  for  truths  by  Du  Bartas  and 
Lobel,  and  also  by  our  learned  Camden,  and  laborious  Gerard 
in  his  *  Herbal.' 

It  is  said  by  Rondeletius,  that  those  Eels  that  are  bred  in 
rivers  that  relate  to,  or  be  nearer  to  the  sea,  never  return  to  the 
fresh  waters,  as  the  Salmon  does  always  desire  to  do,  when 
they  have  once  tasted  the  salt-water;  and  I  do  the  more 
easily  believe  this,  because  I  am  certain  that  powdered  beef 
is  a  most  excellent  bait  to  catch  an  Eel :  and  though  Sir 
Francis  Bacon  will  allow  the  Eel's  life  to  be  but  ten  years, 
yet  he,  in  his  *  History  of  Life  and  Death,'  mentions  a  Lamprey 
belonging  to  the  Roman  Emperor  to  be  made  tame,  and  so 
kept  for  almost  threescore  years  :  and  that  such  useful  and 
pleasant  observations  were  made  of  this  Lamprey,  that 
Crassus  the  Orator,  who  kept  her,  lamented  her  death.  And 
we  read  in  Dr.  Hakewill,  that  Hortensius  was  seen  to  weep 
at  the  death  of  a  Lamprey  that  he  had  kept  long,  and  loved 
exceedingly. 

It  is  granted  by  all,  or  most  men,  that  Eels,  for  about  six 
months,  that  is  to  say,  the  six  cold  months  of  the  year,  stir  not 
up  and  down,  neither  in  the  rivers,  nor  in  the  pools  in  which 

122 


AND   OTHER   FISH   THAT  WANT  SCALES 

they  usually  are,  but  get  into  the  soft  earth  or  mud,  and  there 
many  of  them  together  bed  themselves,  and  live  without  feeding 
upon  any  thing,  as  I  have  told  you  some  Swallows  have  been 
observed  to  do  in  hollow  trees  for  those  cold  six  months :  and 
this  the  Eel  and  Swallow  do,  as  not  being  able  to  endure 
winter-weather ;  for  Gesner  quotes  Albertus  to  say,  that  in 
the  year  1125,  that  year's  winter  being  more  cold  than  usually, 
Eels  did  by  Nature's  instinct  get  out  of  the  water  into  a  stack 
of  hay  in  a  meadow  upon  dry  ground,  and  there  bedded  them- 
selves, but  yet  at  last  a  frost  killed  them.  And  our  Camden 
relates,  that  in  Lancashire,  fishes  were  digged  out  of  the 
earth  with  spades,  where  no  water  was  near  to  the  place.  I 
shall  say  little  more  of  the  Eel,  but  that,  as  it  is  observed,  he 
is  impatient  of  cold,  so  it  hath  been  observed,  that  in  warm 
weather  an  Eel  has  been  known  to  live  five  days  out  of  the 
water. 

And  lastly,  let  me  tell  you  that  some  curious  searchers  into 
the  natures  of  fish,  observe  that  there  be  several  sorts  or  kinds 
of  Eels,  as  the  Silver  Eel,  and  Green  or  Greenish  Eel,  with 
which  the  river  of  Thames  abounds,  and  those  are  called  Grigs ; 
and  a  Blackish  Eel,  whose  head  is  more  flat  and  bigger  than 
ordinary  Eels :  and  also  an  Eel  whose  fins  are  reddish,  and  but 
seldom  taken  in  this  Nation,  and  yet  taken  sometimes :  these 
several  kinds  of  Eels  are,  say  some,  diversly  bred,  as  namely, 
out  of  the  corruption  of  the  earth,  and  some  by  dew,  and  other 
ways,  as  I  have  said  to  you :  and  yet  it  is  affirmed  by  some 
for  a  certain,  that  the  Silver  Eel  is  bred  by  generation,  but 
not  by  spawning  as  other  fish  do,  but  that  her  brood  come  alive 
from  her,  being  then  little  live  Eels  no  bigger  nor  longer  than 
a  pin  ;  and  I  have  had  too  many  testimonies  of  this  to  doubt  the 
truth  of  it  myself,  and  if  I  thought  it  needful  I  might  prove  it, 
but  I  think  it  is  needless. 

And  this  Eel,  of  which  I  have  said  so  much  to  you,  may 
be  caught  with  divers  kinds  of  baits  :  as  namely,  with  powdered 
beef,  with  a  Lob,  or  Garden-worm,  with  a  Minnow,  or  gut  of  a 
Hen,  Chicken,  or  the  guts  of  any  fish,  or  with  almost  any  thing, 
for  he  is  a  greedy  fish ;  but  the  Eel  may  be  caught  especially 
with  a  little,  a  very  little  Lamprey,  which  some  call  a  Pride, 
and  may  in  the  hot  months  be  found  many  of  them  in  the  river 

123 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   EEL 

Thames,  and  in  many  mud-heaps  in  other  rivers,  yea,  almost  as 
usually  as  one  finds  worms  in  a  dunghill. 

Next  note,  that  the  Eel  seldom  stirs  in  the  day,  but  then 
hides  himself,  and  therefore  he  is  usually  caught  by  night,  with 
one  of  these  baits  of  which  I  have  spoken,  and  may  be  then 
caught  by  laying  hooks,  which  you  are  to  fasten  to  the  bank, 
or  twigs  of  a  tree ;  or  by  throwing  a  string  cross  the  stream 
with  many  hooks  at  it,  and  those  baited  with  the  aforesaid  baits, 
and  a  clod,  or  plummet,  or  stone,  thrown  into  the  river  with 
this  line,  that  so  you  may  in  the  morning  find  it  near  to  some 
fixed  place,  and  then  take  it  up  with  a  drag-hook  or  otherwise  : 
but  these  things  are  indeed  too  common  to  be  spoken  of,  and 
an  hour's  fishing  with  any  Angler  will  teach  you  better  both 
for  these  and  many  other  common  things  in  the  practical  part 
of  Angling,  than  a  week's  discourse.  I  shall  therefore  conclude 
this  direction  for  taking  the  Eel,  by  telling  you,  that  in  a  warm 
day  in  summer,  I  have  taken  many  a  good  Eel  by  Snigling, 
and  have  been  much  pleased  with  that  sport. 

And  because  you  that  are  but  a  young  Angler,  know  not 
what  Snigling  is,  I  will  now  teach  it  to  you.  You  remember  I 
told  you  that  Eels  do  not  usually  stir  in  the  day-time,  for  then 
they  hide  themselves  under  some  covert,  or  under  boards  or 
planks  about  flood-gates,  or  wears,  or  mills,  or  in  holes  in  the 
river-banks ;  so  that  you  observing  your  time  in  a  warm  day, 
when  the  water  is  lowest,  may  take  a  strong,  small  hook,  tied 
to  a  strong  line,  or  to  a  string  about  a  yard  long,  and  then  into 
one  of  these  holes,  or  between  any  boards  about  a  mill,  or  under 
any  great  stone  or  plank,  or  any  place  where  you  think  an  Eel 
may  hide  or  shelter  herself,  you  may  with  the  help  of  a  short 
stick  put  in  your  bait,  but  leisurely,  and  as  far  as  you  may 
conveniently :  and  it  is  scarce  to  be  doubted,  but  that  if  there 
be  an  Eel  within  the  sight  of  it,  the  Eel  will  bite  instantly,  and 
as  certainly  gorge  it :  and  you  need  not  doubt  to  have  him,  if 
you  pull  him  not  out  of  the  hole  too  quickly,  but  pull  him  out 
by  degrees,  for  he  lying  folded  double  in  his  hole,  will  with  the 
help  of  his  tail  break  all,  unless  you  give  him  time  to  be 
wearied  with  pulling,  and  so  get  him  out  by  degrees,  not  pulling 
too  hard. 

And  to  commute  for  your  patient  hearing  this  long  direction, 
124 


I  have  taken  many  a  good  Eel  by  Snigling. 


AND   OTHER  FISH   THAT  WANT   SCALES 

I  shall  next  tell  you  how  to  make  this  Eel  a  most  excellent 
dish  of  meat. 

First,  wash  him  in  water  and  salt,  then  pull  off  his  skin 
below  his  vent  or  navel,  and  not  much  further:  having  done 
that,  take  out  his  guts  as  clean  as  you  can,  but  wash  him  not : 
then  give  him  three  or  four  scotches  with  a  knife,  and  then  put 
into  his  belly  and  those  scotches,  sweet  herbs,  an  anchovy,  and 
a  little  nutmeg  grated,  or  cut  very  small,  and  your  herbs  and 
anchovies  must  also  be  cut  very  small,  and  mixed  with  good 
butter  and  salt ;  having  done  this,  then  pull  his  skin  over  him 
all  but  his  head,  which  you  are  to  cut  off,  to  the  end  you  may 
tie  his  skin  about  that  part  where  his  head  grew,  and  it  must 
be  so  tied  as  to  keep  all  his  moisture  within  his  skin :  and 
having  done  this,  tie  him  with  tape  or  packthread  to  a  spit, 
and  roast  him  leisurely,  and  baste  him  with  water  and  salt  till 
his  skin  breaks,  and  then  with  butter :  and  having  roasted  him 
enough,  let  what  was  put  into  his  belly,  and  what  he  drips,  be 
his  sauce.  S.  F. 

When  I  go  to  dress  an  Eel  thus,  I  wish  he  were  as  long 
and  big  as  that  which  was  caught  in  Peterborough  river  in  the 
year  1667,  which  was  a  yard  and  three  quarters  long.  If  you 
will  not  believe  me,  then  go  and  see  at  one  of  the  Coffee-houses 
in  King- street  in  Westminster. 

But  now  let  me  tell  you,  that  though  the  Eel  thus  dressed 
be  not  only  excellent  good,  but  more  harmless  than  any  other 
way,  yet  it  is  certain,  that  physicians  account  the  Eel  dangerous 
meat ;  I  will  advise  you  therefore,  as  Solomon  says  of  honey, 
Prov.  XXV.  16,  *  hast  thou  found  it,  eat  no  more  than  is  sufficient, 
lest  thou  surfeit,  for  it  is  not  good  to  eat  much  honey.'  And  let 
me  add  this,  that  the  uncharitable  Italian  bids  us,  *give  Eels, 
and  no  Wine  to  our  Enemies.' 

And  I  will  beg  a  little  more  of  your  attention  to  tell  you, 
that  Aldrovandus  and  divers  physicians,  commend  the  Eel 
very  much  for  medicine,  though  not  for  meat.  But  let  me  tell 
you  one  observation ;  that  the  Eel  is  never  out  of  season,  as 
Trouts  and  most  other  fish  are  at  set  times,  at  least  most  Eels 
are  not. 

I  might  here  speak  of  many  other  fish  whose  shape  and 

125 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   EEL 

nature  are  much  like  the  Eel,  and  frequent  both  the  sea  and 
fresh  rivers ;  as  namely,  the  Lamprel,  the  Lamprey,  and  the 
Lamperne  :  as  also  of  the  mighty  Conger,  taken  often  in  Severn 
about  Gloucester  ;  and  might  also  tell  in  what  high  esteem  many 
of  them  are  for  the  curiosity  of  their  taste ;  but  these  are  not 
so  proper  to  be  talked  of  by  me,  because  they  make  us  Anglers 
no  sport,  therefore  I  will  let  them  alone  as  the  Jews  do,  to  whom 
they  are  forbidden  by  their  law. 

And,  Scholar,  there  is  also  a  Flounder,  a  sea-fish,  which 
will  wander  very  far  into  fresh  rivers,  and  there  lose  himself, 
and  dwell  and  thrive  to  a  hand's  breadth,  and  almost  twice  so 
long ;  a  fish  without  scales,  and  most  excellent  meat,  and  a  fish 
that  affords  much  sport  to  the  Angler,  with  any  small  worm, 
but  especially  a  little  bluish  worm,  gotten  out  of  marsh-ground 
or  meadows,  which  should  be  well  scoured ;  but  this,  though  it 
be  most  excellent  meat,  yet  it  wants  scales,  and  is,  as  I  told 
you,  therefore  an  abomination  to  the  Jews. 

But,  Scholar,  there  is  a  fish  that  they  in  Lancashire  boast 
very  much  of,  called  a  Char,  taken  there,  and  I  think  there  only, 
in  a  Mere  called  Winander-Mere  ;  a  Mere,  says  Camden,  that 
is  the  largest  in  this  nation,  being  ten  miles  in  length,  and  some 
say,  as  smooth  in  the  bottom  as  if  it  were  paved  with  polished 
marble  :  this  fish  never  exceeds  fifteen  or  sixteen  inches  in 
length,  and  'tis  spotted  like  a  Trout,  and  has  scarce  a  bone  but 
on  the  back :  but  this,  though  I  do  not  know  whether  it  make 
the  Angler  sport,  yet  I  would  have  you  take  notice  of  it, 
because  it  is  a  rarity,  and  of  so  high  esteem  with  persons  of 
great  note. 

Nor  would  I  have  you  ignorant  of  a  rare  fish  called  a 
Guiniad,  of  which  I  shall  tell  you  what  Camden,  and  others 
speak.  The  river  Dee,  which  runs  by  Chester,  springs  in 
Merionethshire,  and  as  it  runs  towards  Chester,  it  runs  through 
Pemble-Mere,  which  is  a  large  water :  and  it  is  observed,  that 
though  the  river  Dee  abounds  with  Salmon,  and  Pemble-Mere 
with  the  Guiniad,  yet  there  is  never  any  Salmon  caught  in  the 
Mere,  nor  a  Guiniad  in  the  river.  And  now  my  next  observation 
shall  be  of  the  Barbel. 


126 


CHAPTER    XIV.     OBSERVATIONS    OF    THE    BARBEL, 
AND   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

PISCATOR,  VENATOR,  AND  MILK-WOMAN 

PISCATOR.  The  Barbel  is  so  called,  says  Gesner,  by 
reason  of  his  barb  or  wattels  at  his  mouth,  which  are 
under  his  nose  or  chaps.  He  is  one  of  those  leather- 
mouthed  fishes  that  I  told  you  of,  that  does  very  seldom  break 
his  hold  if  he  be  once  hooked :  but  he  is  so  strong,  that 
he  will  often  break  both  rod  and  line,  if  he  proves  to  be  a 
big  one. 

But  the  Barbel,  though  he  be  of  a  fine  shape,  and  looks 
big,  yet  he  is  not  accounted  the  best  fish  to  eat,  neither  for  his 
wholesomeness  nor  his  taste:  but  the  male  is  reputed  much 
better  than  the  female,  whose  spawn  is  very  hurtful,  as  I  will 
presently  declare  to  you. 

They  flock  together  like  sheep,  and  are  at  the  worst  in 
April,  about  which  time  they  spawn,  but  quickly  grow  to  be  in 
season.  He  is  able  to  live  in  the  strongest  swifts  of  the  water, 
and  in  Summer  they  love  the  shallowest  and  sharpest  streams ; 
and  love  to  lurk  under  weeds,  and  to  feed  on  gravel  against  a 
rising  ground,  and  will  root  and  dig  in  the  sands  with  his  nose 
like  a  hog,  and  there  nests  himself:  yet  sometimes  he  retires 
to  deep  and  swift  bridges,  or  flood-gates,  or  wears,  where  he 
will  nest  himself  amongst  piles,  or  in  hollow  places,  and  take 
such  hold  of  moss  or  weeds,  that  be  the  water  never  so  swift, 
it  is  not  able  to  force  him  from  the  place  that  he  contends  for. 
This  is  his  constant  custom  in  Summer,  when  he  and  most 
living  creatures  sport  themselves  in  the  sun,  but  at  the  approach 
of  Winter,  then  he  forsakes  the  swift  streams  and  shallow 
waters,  and  by  degrees  retires  to  those  parts  of  the  river  that 
are  quiet  and    deeper;   in   which    places,  and   I  think   about 

127 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   BARBEL 

that  time,  he  spawns,  and  as  I  have  formerly  told  you,  with  the 
help  of  the  melter,  hides  his  spawn  or  eggs  in  holes,  which  they 
both  dig  in  the  gravel,  and  then  they  mutually  labour  to  cover 
it  with  the  same  sand,  to  prevent  it  from  being  devoured  by 
other  fish. 

There  be  such  store  of  this  fish  in  the  river  Danube,  that 
Rondeletius  says,  they  may  in  some  places  of  it,  and  in  some 
months  of  the  year,  be  taken  by  those  that  dwell  near  to  the 
river,  with  their  hands,  eight  or  ten  load  at  a  time ;  he  says, 
they  begin  to  be  good  in  May,  and  that  they  cease  to  be  so 
in  August,  but  it  is  found  to  be  otherwise  in  this  nation:  but 
thus  far  we  agree  with  him,  that  the  spawn  of  a  Barbel,  if  it 
be  not  poison,  as  he  says,  yet  that  it  is  dangerous  meat,  and 
especially  in  the  month  of  May,  which  is  so  certain,  that 
Gesner  and  Gasius,  declare  it  had  an  ill  effect  upon  them,  even 
to  the  endangering  of  their  lives. 

This  fish  is  of  a  fine  cast  and  handsome  shape,  with  small 
scales,  which  are  placed  after  a  most  exact  and  curious 
manner,  and,  as  I  told  you,  may  be  rather  said  not  to  be  ill, 
than  to  be  good  meat;  the  Chub  and  he  have,  I  think,  both 
lost  part  of  their  credit  by  ill  cookery,  they  being  reputed  the 
worst  or  coarsest  of  fresh-water  fish ;  but  the  Barbel  affords 
an  Angler  choice  sport,  being  a  lusty  and  a  cunning  fish;  so 
lusty  and  cunning  as  to  endanger  the  breaking  of  the  Angler's 
line,  by  running  his  head  forcibly  towards  any  covert,  or  hole, 
or  bank ;  and  then  striking  at  the  line,  to  break  it  off  with  his 
tail,  as  is  observed  by  Plutarch,  in  his  book  *De  Industria 
Animalium,'  and  also  so  cunning  to  nibble  and  suck  off  your 
worm  close  to  the  hook,  and  yet  avoid  the  letting  the  hook 
come  into  his  mouth. 

The  Barbel  is  also  curious  for  his  baits,  that  is  to  say,  that 
they  be  clean  and  sweet;  that  is  to  say,  to  have  your  worms 
well  scoured,  and  not  kept  in  sour  and  musty  moss,  for  he  is  a 
curious  feeder;  but  at  a  well-scoured  Lob-worm,  he  will  bite 
as  boldly  as  at  any  bait,  and  specially,  if  the  night  or  two 
before  you  fish  for  him,  you  shall  bait  the  places  where  you 
intend  to  fish  for  him,  with  big  worms  cut  into  pieces ;  and 
note,  that  none  did  ever  over-bait  the  place,  nor  fish  too  early 
or  too  late  for  a  Barbel.  And  the  Barbel  will  bite  also  at 
128 


AND   DIRECTIONS   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR   HIM 

Gentles,  which  not  being  too  much  scoured,  but  green,  are  a 
choice  bait  for  him ;  and  so  is  cheese,  which  is  not  to  be  too 
hard,  but  kept  a  day  or  two  in  a  wet  Hnen  cloth  to  make  it 
tough:  with  this  you  may  also  bait  the  water  a  day  or  two 
before  you  fish  for  the  Barbel,  and  be  much  the  likelier  to  catch 
store:  and  if  the  cheese  were  laid  in  clarified  honey  a  short 
time  before,  as  namely,  an  hour  or  two,  you  were  still  the 
likelier  to  catch  fish :  some  have  directed  to  cut  the  cheese  into 
thin  pieces,  and  toast  it,  and  then  tie  it  on  the  hook  with  fine 
silk :  and  some  advise  to  fish  for  the  Barbel  with  sheep's  tallow 
and  soft  cheese  beaten  or  worked  into  a  paste,  and  that  it  is 
choicely  good  in  August,  and  I  believe  it:  but  doubtless  the 
Lob-worm  well  scoured,  and  the  Gentle  not  too  much  scoured, 
and  cheese  ordered  as  I  have  directed,  are  baits  enough ;  and  I 
think  will  serve  in  any  month ;  though  I  shall  commend  any 
Angler  that  tries  conclusions,  and  is  industrious  to  improve  the 
Art.  And  now,  my  honest  Scholar,  the  long  shower  and  my 
tedious  discourse  are  both  ended  together  :  and  I  shall  give 
you  but  this  observation,  that  when  you  fish  for  a  Barbel,  your 
rod  and  line  be  both  long,  and  of  good  strength ;  for,  as  I  told 
you,  you  will  find  him  a  heavy  and  a  dogged  fish  to  be  dealt 
withal,  yet  he  seldom  or  never  breaks  his  hold  if  he  be  once 
strucken.  And  if  you  would  know  more  of  fishing  for  the  Umber 
or  Barbel,  get  into  favour  with  Dr.  Sheldon,  whose  skill  is  above 
others ;  and  of  that,  the  poor  that  dwell  about  him  have  a  com- 
fortable experience. 

And  now  let's  go  and  see  what  interest  the  Trouts  will 
pay  us  for  letting  our  Angle-rods  lie  so  long,  and  so  quietly,  in 
the  water,  for  their  use.  Come,  Scholar,  which  will  you 
take  up? 

Venator.    Which  you  think  fit.  Master. 

Pisc.  Why,  you  shall  take  up  that ;  for  I  am  certain  by 
viewing  the  line,  it  has  a  fish  at  it.  Look  you.  Scholar :  well 
done.  Come  now,  take  up  the  other  too ;  well,  now  you  may 
tell  my  brother  Peter  at  night,  that  you  have  caught  a  leash  of 
Trouts  this  day.  And  now  let 's  move  toward  our  lodging,  and 
drink  a  draught  of  Red-Cow's  milk  as  we  go,  and  give  pretty 
Maudlin  and  her  honest  mother  a  brace  of  Trouts  for  their 
supper. 

129 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  THE   BARBEL 

Ven.  Master,  I  like  your  motion  very  well  ;  and  I  think 
it  is  now  about  milking-time,  and  yonder  they  be  at  it. 

Pisc.  God  speed  you,  good  woman,  I  thank  you  both  for  our 
songs  last  night ;  I  and  my  companion  have  had  such  fortune 
a-fishing  this  day,  that  we  resolve  to  give  you  and  Maudlin  a 
brace  of  Trouts  for  supper,  and  we  will  now  taste  a  draught  of 
your  Red-Cow's  milk. 

MiLK-woMAN.  Marry,  and  that  you  shall  with  all  my  heart, 
and  I  will  be  still  your  debtor  when  you  come  this  way :  if  you 
will  but  speak  the  word  I  will  make  you  a  good  syllabub,  of 
new  verjuice,  and  then  you  may  sit  down  in  a  hay-cock  and  eat 
it,  and  Maudlin  shall  sit  by  and  sing  you  the  good  old  song  of 
the  *  Hunting  in  Chevy  Chace.'  or  some  other  good  ballad,  for 
she  hath  good  store  of  them ;  Maudlin,  my  honest  Maudlin, 
hath  a  notable  memory,  and  she  thinks  nothing  too  good  for 
you,  because  you  be  such  honest  men. 

Ven.  We  thank  you,  and  intend  once  in  a  month  to  call 
upon  you  again,  and  give  you  a  little  warning,  and  so  good 
night :  good  night.  Maudlin.  And  now,  good  Master,  let 's  lose 
no  time;  but  tell  me  somewhat  more  of  fishing,  and  if  you 
please,  first  something  of  fishing  for  a  Gudgeon. 

Pisc.    I  will,  honest  Scholar. 


130 


CHAPTER  XV.  OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  GUDGEON, 
THE  RUFFE,  AND  THE  BLEAK,  AND  HOW  TO 
FISH   FOR  THEM 

PISCATOR 

THE  Gudgeon  is  reputed  a  fish  of  excellent  taste,  and  to 
be  very  wholesome :  he  is  of  a  fine  shape,  of  a  silver 
colour,  and  beautified  with  black  spots  both  on  his  body 
and  tail.  He  breeds  two  or  three  times  in  the  year,  and  always 
in  Summer.  He  is  commended  for  a  fish  of  excellent  nourish- 
ment :  the  Germans  call  him  Groundling,  by  reason  of  his  feeding 
on  the  ground :  and  he  there  feasts  himself  in  sharp  streams, 
and  on  the  gravel.  He  and  the  Barbel  both  feed  so,  and  do 
not  hunt  for  flies  at  any  time,  as  most  other  fishes  do  :  he  is  an 
excellent  fish  to  enter  a  young  Angler,  being  easy  to  be  taken 
with  a  small  red-worm,  on,  or  very  near  to  the  ground.  He  is 
one  of  those  leather -mouthed  fish  that  has  his  teeth  in  his 
throat,  and  will  hardly  be  lost  from  off  the  hook  if  he  be  once 
strucken :  they  be  usually  scattered  up  and  down  every  river 
in  the  shallows,  in  the  heat  of  Summer ;  but  in  Autumn,  when 
the  weeds  begin  to  grow  sour  or  rot,  and  the  weather  colder, 
then  they  gather  together,  and  get  into  the  deeper  parts  of  the 
water;  and  are  to  be  fished  for  there,  with  your  hook  always 
touching  the  ground,  if  you  fish  for  him  with  a  float,  or  with  a 
cork ;  but  many  will  fish  for  the  Gudgeon  by  hand,  with  a  run- 
ning line  upon  the  ground,  without  a  cork,  as  a  Trout  is  fished 
for,  and  it  is  an  excellent  way,  if  you  have  a  gentle  rod  and  as 
gentle  a  hand. 

There  is  also  another  fish  called  a  Pope,  and  by  some  a 
Ruffe,  a  fish  that  is  not  known  to  be  in  some  rivers :  he  is 
much  like  the  Pearch  for  his  shape,  and  taken  to  be  better  than 
the  Pearch,  but  will  not  grow  to  be  bigger  than  a  Gudgeon ; 
he  is  an  excellent  fish,  no  fish  that  swims  is  of  a  pleasanter 
taste,  and  he  is  also  excellent  to  enter  a  young  Angler,  for  he 

u  131 


THE  GUDGEON,  THE  RUFFE,  AND  THE  BLEAK 

is  a  greedy  biter,  and  they  will  usually  lie  abundance  of  them 
together,  in  one  reserved  place,  where  the  water  is  deep,  and 
runs  quietly ;  and  an  easy  Angler,  if  he  has  found  where  they 
lie,  may  catch  forty  or  fifty,  or  sometimes  twice  so  many,  at  a 
standing. 

You  must  fish  for  him  with  a  small  red-worm,  and  if  you 
bait  the  ground  with  earth,  it  is  excellent. 

There  is  also  a  Bleak,  or  Fresh-water-Sprat,  a  fish  that  is 
ever  in  motion,  and  therefore  called  by  some  the  River-Swallow ; 
for  just  as  you  shall  observe  the  Swallow  to  be  most  evenings 
in  Summer,  ever  in  motion,  making  short  and  quick  turns  when 
he  flies  to  catch  flies  in  the  air,  by  which  he  lives,  so  does  the 
Bleak  at  the  top  of  the  water.  Ausonius  would  have  him  called 
Bleak,  from  his  whitish  colour :  his  back  is  of  a  pleasant  sad 
or  sea-water-green,  his  belly  white  and  shining  as  the  mountain- 
snow  ;  and  doubtless,  though  he  have  the  fortune,  which  virtue 
has  in  poor  people,  to  be  neglected,  yet  the  Bleak  ought  to  be 
much  valued,  though  we  want  Allamot-salt,  and  the  skill  that 
the  Italians  have  to  turn  them  into  Anchovies.  This  fish  may 
be  caught  with  a  Pater-noster  line,  that  is,  six  or  eight  very 
small  hooks  tied  along  the  line,  one  half  a  foot  above  the  other : 
I  have  seen  five  caught  thus  at  one  time,  and  the  bait  has  been 
Gentles,  than  which  none  is  better. 

Or  this  fish  may  be  caught  with  a  fine  small  artificial  fly, 
which  is  to  be  of  a  very  sad,  brown  colour,  and  very  small,  and 
the  hook  answerable.  There  is  no  better  sport  than  whipping 
for  Bleaks  in  a  boat,  or  on  a  bank  in  the  swift  water  in  a 
Summer's  evening,  with  a  hazle  top  about  five  or  six  foot  long, 
and  a  line  twice  the  length  of  the  rod  :  I  have  heard  Sir  Henry 
Wotton  say,  that  there  be  many  that  in  Italy  will  catch  Swallows 
so,  or  especially  Martins,  this  Bird-Angler  standing  on  the  top 
of  a  steeple  to  do  it,  and  with  a  line  twice  so  long  as  I  have 
spoken  of :  and  let  me  tell  you.  Scholar,  that  both  Martins  and 
Bleaks  be  most  excellent  meat. 

And  let  me  tell  you,  that  I  have  known  a  Hern  that  did 
constantly  frequent  one  place,  caught  with  a  hook  baited  with 
a  big  Minnow  or  a  small  Gudgeon.  The  line  and  hook  must 
be  strong,  and  tied  to  some  loose  staff",  so  big  as  she  cannot 
fly  away  with  it,  a  line  not  exceeding  two  yards. 
132 


CHAPTER  XVI.     IS  OF  NOTHING;  OR,  THAT  WHICH 

IS  NOTHING  WORTH 

PISCATOR,   PETER,  VENATOR,  CORIDON 

PISCATOR.  My  purpose  was  to  give  you  some  directions 
concerning  Roach  and  Dace,  and  some  other  inferior  fish, 
which  make  the  Angler  excellent  sport,  for  you  know 
there  is  more  pleasure  in  hunting  the  Hare  than  in  eating  her : 
but  I  will  forbear  at  this  time  to  say  any  more,  because  you  see 
yonder  come  our  brother  Peter  and  honest  Coridon :  but  I  will 
promise  you,  that  as  you  and  I  fish  and  walk  to-morrow  towards 
London,  if  I  have  now  forgotten  any  thing  that  I  can  then 
remember,  I  will  not  keep  it  from  you. 

Well  met,  Gentlemen,  this  is  lucky  that  we  meet  so  just 
together  at  this  very  door.  Come  Hostess,  where  are  you  ?  Is 
supper  ready?  Come,  first  give  us  drink,  and  be  as  quick  as 
you  can,  for  I  believe  we  are  all  very  hungry.  Well  brother 
Peter  and  Coridon,  to  you  both ;  come  drink,  and  then  tell  me 
what  luck  of  fish  :  we  two  have  caught  but  ten  Trouts,  of  which 
my  Scholar  caught  three ;  look,  here 's  eight,  and  a  brace  we 
gave  away;  we  have  had  a  most  pleasant  day  for  fishing  and 
talking,  and  are  returned  home  both  weary  and  hungry,  and 
now  meat  and  rest  will  be  pleasant. 

Peter.  And  Coridon  and  I  have  had  not  an  unpleasant 
day,  and  yet  I  have  caught  but  five  Trouts  :  for  indeed  we  went 
to  a  good  honest  ale-house,  and  there  we  played  at  Shovel- 
board  half  the  day ;  all  the  time  that  it  rained  we  were  there, 
and  as  merry  as  they  that  fished,  and  I  am  glad  we  are  now 
with  a  dry  house  over  our  heads,  for  hark  how  it  rains  and 
blows.  Come  Hostess,  give  us  more  ale,  and  our  supper  with 
what  haste  you  may :  and  when  we  have  supped  let  us  have 
your  song,  Piscator,  and  the  catch  that  your  Scholar  promised 
us,  or  else  Coridon  will  be  dogged. 

133 


IS   OF   NOTHING;    OR 

Pisc.  Nay,  I  will  not  be  worse  than  my  word,  you  shall 
not  want  my  song,  and  I  hope  I  shall  be  perfect  in  it. 

Venator.  And  I  hope  the  like  for  my  catch,  which  I  have 
ready  too,  and  therefore  let 's  go  merrily  to  supper,  and  then 
have  a  gentle  touch  at  singing  and  drinking ;  but  the  last  with 
moderation. 

CoRiDON.  Come,  now  for  your  song,  for  we  have  fed  heartily. 
Come  Hostess,  lay  a  few  more  sticks  on  the  fire,  and  now  sing 
when  you  will. 

Pisc.  Well  then,  here 's  to  you,  Coridon ;  and  now  for  my 
song. 

Oh !  the  gallant  fisher's  life, 
It  is  the  best  of  any, 
'Tis  full  of  pleasure,  void  of  strife, 
And  'tis  beloved  by  many: 

Other  joys 

Are  but  toys, 

Only  this 

Lawful  is. 

For  our  skill 

Breeds  no  ill, 
But  content  and  pleasure. 

In  a  morning  up  we  rise, 
Ere  Aurora's  peeping. 
Drink  a  cup  to  wash  our  eyes, 
Leave  the  sluggard  sleeping: 

Then  we  go 

To  and  fro, 

With  our  knacks 

At  our  backs. 

To  such  streams 

As  the  Thames, 
If  we  have  the  leisure. 

When  we  please  to  walk  abroad 
For  our  recreation. 
In  the  fields  is  our  abode, 
Full  of  delectation. 

Where  in  a  brook 

With  a  hook. 

Or  a  lake, 

Fish  we  take. 

There  we  sit. 

For  a  bit. 
Till  we  fish  entangle. 
134 


M 


In  a  morning  up  we  rise,  ere  Aurora's  peeping. 

Drink  a  cup  to  wash  our  eyes,  leave  the  sluggard  sleeping^. 


THAT  WHICH    IS   NOTHING  WORTH 

We  have  gentles  in  a  horn, 
We  have  paste  and  worms  too, 
We  can  watch  both  night  and  morn, 
Suffer  rain  and  storms  too: 

None  do  here 

Use  to  swear, 

Oaths  do  fray 

Fish  away, 

We  sit  still, 

And  watch  our  quill; 
Fishers  must  not  wrangle. 

If  the  Sun's  excessive  heat 
Make  our  bodies  swelter, 
To  an  Osier  hedge  we  get 
For  a  friendly  shelter. 

Where  in  a  dike 

Pearch  or  Pike, 

Roach  or  Dace, 

We  do  chase, 

Bleak  or  Gudgeon 

Without  grudging, 
We  are  still  contented. 

Or  we  sometimes  pass  an  hour 
Under  a  green  Willow; 
That  defends  us  from  a  shower, 
Making  earth  our  pillow, 

Where  we  may 

Think  and  pray, 

Before  death 

Stops  our  breath: 

Other  joys 

Are  but  toys, 
And  to  be  lamented. 

Jo.  Chalkhill. 

Ven.  Well  sung,  Master;  this  day's  fortune  and  pleasure, 
and  this  night's  company  and  song,  do  all  make  me  more  and 
more  in  love  with  Angling.  Gentlemen,  my  Master  left  me 
alone  for  an  hour  this  day,  and  I  verily  believe  he  retired  him- 
self from  talking  with  me,  that  he  might  be  so  perfect  in  this 
song;  was  it  not.  Master? 

Pisc.  Yes  indeed,  for  it  is  many  years  since  I  learned  it, 
and  having  forgotten  a  part  of  it,  I  was  forced  to  patch  it  up  by 
the  help  of  mine  own  invention,  who  am  not  excellent  at  poetry, 

135 


IS  OF  NOTHING;  OR 

as  my  part  of  the  song  may  testify :  but  of  that  I  will  say  no 
more,  lest  you  should  think  I  mean  by  discommending  it  to 
beg  your  commendations  of  it.  And  therefore,  without  replica- 
tions, let's  hear  your  catch,  Scholar,  which  I  hope  will  be  a 
good  one,  for  you  are  both  musical,  and  have  a  good  fancy  to 
boot. 

Ven.  Marry,  and  that  you  shall,  and  as  freely  as  I  would 
have  my  honest  Master  tell  me  some  more  secrets  of  fish  and 
fishing  as  we  walk  and  fish  towards  London  to-morrow.  But 
Master,  first  let  me  tell  you  that,  that  very  hour  which  you  were 
absent  from  me,  I  sat  down  under  a  Willow-tree  by  the  water- 
side, and  considered  what  you  had  told  me  of  the  owner  of  that 
pleasant  meadow  in  which  you  then  left  me ;  that  he  had  a 
plentiful  estate,  and  not  a  heart  to  think  so ;  that  he  had  at  this 
time  many  law-suits  depending,  and  that  they  both  damped  his 
mirth,  and  took  up  so  much  of  his  time  and  thoughts,  that  he 
himself  had  not  leisure  to  take  the  sweet  content  that  I,  who 
pretended  no  title  to  them,  took  in  his  fields ;  for  I  could  there 
sit  quietly,  and  looking  on  the  water,  see  some  fishes  sport 
themselves  in  the  silver  streams,  others,  leaping  at  flies  of 
several  shapes  and  colours ;  looking  on  the  hills,  I  could  behold 
them  spotted  with  woods  and  groves ;  looking  down  the 
meadows,  could  see  here  a  boy  gathering  Lilies  and  Lady- 
smocks,  and  there  a  girl  cropping  Culverkeyes  and  Cowslips, 
all  to  make  Garlands  suitable  to  this  present  month  of  May : 
these,  and  many  other  field-flowers,  so  perfumed  the  air,  that  I 
thought  that  very  meadow,  like  that  field  in  Sicily,  of  which 
Diodorus  speaks,  where  the  perfumes  arising  from  the  place, 
make  all  dogs  that  hunt  in  it  to  fall  ofl*,  and  to  lose  their 
hottest  scent.  I  say,  as  I  thus  sat  joying  in  my  own  happy 
condition,  and  pitying  this  poor  rich  man,  that  owned  this  and 
many  other  pleasant  groves  and  meadows  about  me,  I  did 
thankfully  remember  what  my  Saviour  said,  that  the  Meek 
possess  the  earth ;  or  rather,  they  enjoy  what  the  other  possess 
and  enjoy  not ;  for  Anglers,  and  meek,  quiet-spirited  men,  are 
free  from  those  high,  those  restless  thoughts,  which  corrode  the 
sweets  of  life ;  and  they,  and  they  only,  can  say,  as  the  poet 
has  happily  expressed  it; 

136 


THAT  WHICH   IS   NOTHING  WORTH 

Hail  blest  estate  of  lowliness ! 

Happy  enjoyments  of  such  minds, 

As  rich  in  self-contentedness, 

Can,  like  the  reeds  in  roughest  winds, 
By  yielding  make  that  blow  but  small, 
At  which  proud  oaks  and  cedars  fall. 

There  came  also  into  my  mind  at  that  time,  certain  verses 
in  praise  of  a  mean  estate  and  an  humble  mind  ;  they  were 
written  by  Phineas  Fletcher,  an  excellent  Divine,  and  an  excel- 
lent Angler,  and  the  author  of  excellent  *  Piscatory  Eclogues,* 
in  which  you  shall  see  the  picture  of  this  good  man's  mind, 
and  I  wish  mine  to  be  like  it. 

No  empty  hopes,  no  courtly  fears  him  fright, 
No  begging  wants,  his  middle  fortune  bite. 

But  sweet  content  exiles  both  misery  and  spite. 
His  certain  life,  that  never  can  deceive  him. 

Is  full  of  thousand  sweets,  and  rich  content ; 
The  smooth-leaVd  beeches  in  the  field  receive  him 

With  coolest  shade,  till  noon-tide's  heat  be  spent: 
His  life,  is  neither  toss'd  in  boisterous  seas. 
Or  the  vexatious  world,  or  lost  in  slothful  ease: 
Pleas'd  and  full  blest  he  lives,  when  he  his  God  can  please. 

His  bed,  more  safe  than  soft,  yields  quiet  sleeps. 

While  by  his  side  his  faithful  spouse  hath  place ; 
His  little  son,  into  his  bosom  creeps. 

The  lively  picture  of  his  father's  face ; 
His  humble  house,  or  poor  state,  ne'er  torment  him, 
Less  he  could  like,  if  less  his  God  had  lent  him. 
And  when  he  dies,  green  turfs  do  for  a  tomb  content  him. 

Gentlemen,  these  were  a  part  of  the  thoughts  that  then 
possessed  me,  and  I  there  made  a  conversion  of  a  piece  of  an 
old  catch,  and  added  more  to  it,  fitting  them  to  be  sung  by  us 
Anglers:  come,  Master,  you  can  sing  well,  you  must  sing  a 
part  of  it  as  it  is  in  this  paper. 

Pet.  I  marry.  Sir,  this  is  music  indeed,  this  has  cheered 
my  heart,  and  made  me  to  remember  six  verses  in  praise  of 
Music,  which  I  will  speak  to  you  instantly. 

Music,  miraculous  rhetoric ! — that  speak'st  sense 
Without  a  tongue,  excelling  eloquence; 
With  what  ease  might  thy  errors  be  excus'd, 
Wert  thou  as  truly  lov'd  as  thou'rt  abus'd? 
But  though  dull  souls  neglect,  and  some  reprove  thee, 
I  cannot  hate  thee,  'cause  the  Angels  love  thee. 
X  137  . 


IS   OF   NOTHING 

Ven.  And  the  repetition  of  these  last  verses  of  Music, 
have  called  to  my  memory  what  Mr.  Ed.  Waller,  a  Lover  of 
the  Angle,  says  of  Love  and  Music. 

Whilst  I  listen  to  thy  voice, 

Chloris,  I  feel  my  heart  decay: 
That  powerful  voice 

Calls  my  fleeting  soul  away; 
Oh  !  suppress  that  magic  sound, 
Which  destroys  without  a  wound. 

Peace  Chloris,  peace,  or  singing  die, 
That  together  you  and  I 
To  Heaven  may  go : 
For  all  we  know 
Of  what  the  blessed  do  above 
Is,  that  they  sing,  and  that  they  love. 

Pisc.  Well  remembered,  Brother  Peter,  these  verses  came 
seasonably,  and  we  thank  you  heartily.  Come,  we  will  all  join 
together,  my  Host  and  all,  and  sing  my  Scholar's  Catch  over 
again,  and  then  each  man  drink  the  tother  cup  and  to  bed, 
and  thank  God  we  have  a  dry  house  over  our  heads. 


Pisc.  Well  now.  Good  Night  to  every  body. 

Pet.  And  so  say  I. 

Ven.  And  so  say  I. 

CoR.  Good  Night  to  you  all,  and  I  thank  you. 


Pisc.  Good  Morrow,  Brother  Peter,  and  the  like  to  you, 
honest  Coridon :  come,  my  Hostess  says  there  is  seven  shil- 
lings to  pay,  let's  each  man  drink  a  pot  for  his  morning's 
draught,  and  lay  down  his  two  shillings,  that  so  my  Hostess 
may  not  have  occasion  to  repent  herself  of  being  so  diligent, 
and  using  us  so  kindly. 

Pet.  The  motion  is  liked  by  every  body,  and  so  Hostess, 
here 's  your  money ;  we  Anglers  are  all  beholding  to  you,  it  will 
not  be  long  ere  I  '11  see  you  again.  And  now  Brother  Piscator, 
I  wish  you  and  my  Brother,  your  Scholar,  a  fair  day  and  good 
fortune.  Come  Coridon,  this  is  our  way. 
138 


CHAPTER  XVII.      OF   ROACH  AND    DACE,   AND   HOW 
TO  FISH   FOR  THEM;    AND  OF  CADIS 

VENATOR  AND   PISCATOR 

VENATOR.  Good  Master,  as  we  go  now  towards  London, 
be  still  so  courteous  as  to  give  me  more  instructions, 
for  I  have  several  boxes  in  my  memory,  in  which  I  will 
keep  them  all  very  safe,  there  shall  not  one  of  them  be  lost. 

PiscATOR.  Well,  Scholar,  that  I  will,  and  I  will  hide  nothing 
from  you  that  I  can  remember,  and  can  think  may  help  you 
forward  towards  a  perfection  in  this  art ;  and  because  we  have 
so  much  time,  and  I  have  said  so  little  of  Roach  and  Dace,  I 
vTill  give  you  some  directions  concerning  them. 

Some  say  the  Roach  is  so  called,  from  Rutilus,  which,  they 
say,  signifies  red  fins :  he  is  a  fish  of  no  great  reputation  for 
his  dainty  taste,  and  his  spawn  is  accounted  much  better  than 
any  other  part  of  him.  And  you  may  take  notice,  that  as  the 
Carp  is  accounted  the  Water- Fox,  for  his  cunning;  so  the 
Roach  is  accounted  the  Water-Sheep  for  his  simplicity  or 
foolishness.  It  is  noted  that  the  Roach  and  Dace  recover 
strength,  and  grow  in  season  in  a  fortnight  after  spawning: 
the  Barbel  and  Chub  in  a  month,  the  Trout  in  four  months,  and 
the  Salmon  in  the  like  time,  if  he  gets  into  the  Sea,  and  after 
into  fresh  water. 

Roaches  be  accounted  much  better  in  the  river  than  in  a 
pond,  though  ponds  usually  breed  the  biggest.  But  there  is 
a  kind  of  bastard  small  Roach  that  breeds  in  ponds,  with  a  very 
forked  tail,  and  of  a  very  small  size,  which  some  say  is  bred 
by  the  Bream  and  right  Roach,  and  some  ponds  are  stored 
with  these  beyond  belief;  and  knowing  men  that  know  their 
difference,  call  them  Ruds ;  they  differ  from  the  true  Roach  as 
much  as  a  Herring  from  a  Pilchard,  and  these  bastard-breed 

139 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  ROACH  AND  DACE 

of  Roach  are  now  scattered  in  many  rivers,  but  I  think  not  in 
the  Thames,  which  I  believe  affords  the  largest  and  fattest  in 
this  nation,  especially  below  London-bridge :  the  Roach  is  a 
leather-mouthed  fish,  and  has  a  kind  of  saw-like  teeth  in  his 
throat.  And  lastly,  let  me  tell  you,  the  Roach  makes  an  Angler 
excellent  sport,  especially  the  great  Roaches  about  London, 
where  I  think  there  be  the  best  Roach-Anglers,  and  I  think 
the  best  Trout-Anglers  be  in  Derbyshire,  for  the  waters  there 
are  clear  to  an  extremity. 

Next,  let  me  tell  you,  you  shall  fish  for  this  Roach  in 
Winter  with  paste  or  gentles,  in  April  with  worms  or  cadis : 
in  the  very  hot  months  with  little  white  snails,  or  with  flies 
under  water,  for  he  seldom  takes  them  at  the  top,  though  the 
Dace  will.  In  many  of  the  hot  months.  Roaches  may  also  be 
caught  thus :  Take  a  May-fly  or  Ant-fly,  sink  him  with  a  little 
lead  to  the  bottom  near  to  the  piles  or  posts  of  a  bridge,  or 
near  to  any  posts  of  a  wear,  I  mean  any  deep  place  where 
Roaches  lie  quietly,  and  then  pull  your  fly  up  very  leisurely, 
and  usually  a  Roach  will  follow  your  bait  to  the  very  top  of 
the  water  and  gaze  on  it  there,  and  run  at  it  and  take  it  lest 
the  fly  should  fly  away  from  him. 

I  have  seen  this  done  at  Windsor  and  Henley-bridge,  and 
great  store  of  Roach  taken ;  and  sometimes  a  Dace  or  Chub ; 
and  in  August  you  may  fish  for  them  with  a  paste  made  only 
of  the  crumbs  of  bread,  which  should  be  of  pure  fine  manchet ; 
and  that  paste  must  be  so  tempered  betwixt  your  hands  till  it 
be  both  soft  and  tough  too ;  a  very  little  water,  and  time  and 
labour,  and  clean  hands,  will  make  it  a  most  excellent  paste : 
but  when  you  fish  with  it,  you  must  have  a  small  hook,  a  quick 
eye,  and  a  nimble  hand,  or  the  bait  is  lost  and  the  fish  too ;  if 
one  may  lose  that  which  he  never  had :  with  this  paste  you 
may,  as  I  said,  take  both  the  Roach  and  the  Dace  or  Dare,  for 
they  be  much  of  a  kind,  in  matter  of  feeding,  cunning,  goodness, 
and  usually  in  size.  And  therefore  take  this  general  direction 
for  some  other  baits  which  may  concern  you  to  take  notice  of. 
They  will  bite  almost  at  any  fly,  but  especially  at  Ant-flies  ; 
concerning  which,  take  this  direction,  for  it  is  very  good. 

Take  the  blackish  Ant-fly  out  of  the  Mole-hill  or  Ant-hill, 
in  which  place  you  shall  find  them  in  the  month  of  June,  or  if 
140 


AND   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THEM 

that  be  too  early  in  the  year,  then  doubtless  you  may  find  them 
in  July,  August,  and  most  of  September,  gather  them  alive  with 
both  their  wings,  and  then  put  them  into  a  glass  that  will  hold 
a  quart  or  a  pottle ;  but  first  put  into  the  glass  a  handful  or 
more  of  the  moist  earth,  out  of  which  you  gather  them,  and  as 
much  of  the  roots  of  the  grass  of  the  said  hillock,  and  then  put 
in  the  flies  gently,  that  they  lose  not  their  wings :  lay  a  clod 
of  earth  over  it,  and  then  so  many  as  are  put  into  the  glass 
without  bruising,  will  live  there  a  month  or  more,  and  be  always 
in  a  readiness  for  you  to  fish  with  ;  but  if  you  would  have  them 
keep  longer,  then  get  any  great  earthen  pot,  or  barrel  of  three 
or  four  gallons,  which  is  better,  then  wash  your  barrel  with 
water  and  honey ;  and  having  put  into  it  a  quantity  of  earth 
and  grass-roots,  then  put  in  your  flies,  and  cover  it,  and  they 
will  live  a  quarter  of  a  year ;  these  in  any  stream  and  clear 
water,  are  a  deadly  bait  for  Roach  or  Dace,  or  for  a  Chub ; 
and  your  rule  is,  to  fish  not  less  than  a  handful  from  the 
bottom. 

I  shall  next  tell  you  a  Winter-bait  for  a  Roach,  a  Dace  or 
Chub,  and  it  is  choicely  good.  About  AU-hallontide,  and  so  till 
frost  comes,  when  you  see  men  ploughing  up  heath-ground, 
or  sandy  ground,  or  green-swards,  then  follow  the  plough,  and 
you  shall  find  a  white  worm  as  big  as  two  maggots,  and  it  hath 
a  red  head,  you  may  observe  in  what  ground  most  are,  for  there 
the  crows  will  be  very  watchful  and  follow  the  plough  very 
close ;  it  is  all  soft,  and  full  of  whitish  guts :  a  worm  that  is  in 
Norfolk,  and  some  other  Counties,  called  a  Grub,  and  is  bred 
of  the  spawn  or  eggs  of  a  beetle,  which  she  leaves  in  holes  that 
she  digs  in  the  ground  under  cow  or  horse-dung,  and  there  rests 
all  Winter,  and  in  March  or  April,  comes  to  be  first  a  red,  and 
then  a  black  beetle :  gather  a  thousand  or  two  of  these,  and 
put  them  with  a  peck  or  two  of  their  own  earth,  into  some  tub 
or  firkin,  and  cover,  and  keep  them  so  warm,  that  the  frost,  or 
cold  air,  or  winds  kill  them  not ;  these  you  may  keep  all  Winter, 
and  kill  fish  with  them  at  any  time :  and  if  you  put  some  of 
them  into  a  little  earth  and  honey  a  day  before  you  use  them, 
you  will  find  them  an  excellent  bait  for  Bream,  Carp,  or  indeed 
for  almost  any  fish. 

And  after  this  manner  you  may  also  keep  gentles  all  Winter, 

141 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  ROACH  AND  DACE 

which  are  a  good  bait  then,  and  much  the  better  for  being  lively 
and  tough  :  or  you  may  breed  and  keep  gentles  thus :  take  a 
piece  of  beast's  liver,  and  with  a  cross  stick,  hang  it  in  some 
corner  over  a  pot  or  barrel,  half  full  of  dry  clay,  and  as  the 
gentles  grow  big,  they  will  fall  into  the  barrel,  and  scour  them- 
selves, and  be  always  ready  for  use  whensoever  you  incline  to 
fish ;  and  these  gentles  may  be  thus  created  till  after  Michael- 
mas. But  if  you  desire  to  keep  gentles  to  fish  with  all  the 
year,  then  get  a  dead  cat  or  a  kite,  and  let  it  be  fly-blown,  and 
when  the  gentles  begin  to  be  alive  and  to  stir,  then  bury  it  and 
them  in  soft,  moist  earth,  but  as  free  from  frost  as  you  can, 
and  these  you  may  dig  up  at  any  time  when  you  intend  to  use 
them ;  these  will  last  till  March,  and  about  that  time  turn  to 
be  flies. 

But  if  you  be  nice  to  foul  your  fingers,  which  good  Anglers 
seldom  are,  then  take  this  bait :  get  a  handful  of  well-made 
malt,  and  put  it  into  a  dish  of  water,  and  then  wash  and  rub  it 
betwixt  your  hands  till  you  make  it  clean,  and  as  free  from 
husks  as  you  can  ;  then  put  that  water  from  it,  and  put  a  small 
quantity  of  fresh  water  to  it,  and  set  it  in  something  that  is 
fit  for  that  purpose  over  the  fire,  where  it  is  not  to  boil  apace, 
but  leisurely  and  very  softly,  until  it  become  somewhat  soft, 
which  you  may  try  by  feeling  it  betwixt  your  finger  and  thumb, 
and  when  it  is  soft,  then  put  your  water  from  it,  and  then  take 
a  sharp  knife,  and  turning  the  sprout  end  of  the  corn  upward, 
with  the  point  of  your  knife  take  the  back  part  of  the  husk  off 
from  it,  and  yet  leaving  a  kind  of  inward  husk  on  the  corn,  or 
else  it  is  marred,  and  then  cut  off"  that  sprouted  end,  I  mean  a 
little  of  it,  that  the  white  may  appear,  and  so  pull  off  the  husk 
on  the  cloven  side,  as  I  directed  you,  and  then  cutting  off"  a  very 
little  of  the  other  end,  that  so  your  hook  may  enter ;  and  if  your 
hook  be  small  and  good,  you  will  find  this  to  be  a  very  choice 
bait,  either  for  Winter  or  Summer,  you  sometimes  casting  a 
little  of  it  into  the  place  where  your  float  swims. 

And  to  take  the  Roach  and  Dace,  a  good  bait  is  the  young 
brood  of  wasps  or  bees,  if  you  dip  their  heads  in  blood; 
especially  good  for  Bream,  if  they  be  baked  or  hardened  in 
their  husks,  in  an  oven,  after  the  bread  is  taken  out  of  it ;  or 
hardened  on  a  fire-shovel ;  and  so  also  is  the  thick  blood  of 
142 


AND   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THEM 

sheep,  being  half  dried  on  a  trencher,  that  so  you  may  cut  it 
into  such  pieces  as  may  best  fit  the  size  of  your  hook,  and  a 
little  salt  keeps  it  from  growing  black,  and  makes  it  not  the 
worse,  but  better :  this  is  taken  to  be  a  choice  bait  if  rightly 
ordered. 

There  be  several  oils  of  a  strong  smell  that  I  have  been  told 
of,  and  to  be  excellent  to  tempt  fish  to  bite,  of  which  I  could 
say  much;  but  I  remember  I  once  carried  a  small  bottle  from 
Sir  George  Hastings  to  Sir  Henry  Wotton,  they  were  both 
chemical  men,  as  a  great  present;  it  was  sent,  and  received, 
and  used  with  great  confidence ;  and  yet  upon  enquiry,  I  found 
it  did  not  answer  the  expectation  of  Sir  Henry,  which,  with  the 
help  of  this  and  other  circumstances,  makes  me  have  little  belief 
in  such  things  as  many  men  talk  of:  not  but  that  I  think  fishes 
both  smell  and  hear,  as  I  have  expressed  in  my  former  discourse ; 
but  there  is  a  mysterious  knack,  which,  though  it  be  much 
easier  than  the  philosopher's  stone,  yet  is  not  attainable  by 
common  capacities,  or  else  lies  locked  up  in  the  brain  or  breast 
of  some  chemical  man,  that  like  the  Rosicrucians,  will  not  yet 
reveal  it.  But  let  me  nevertheless  tell  you,  that  Camphor,  put 
with  moss  into  your  worm-bag  with  your  worms,  makes  them, 
if  many  Anglers  be  not  very  much  mistaken,  a  tempting  bait, 
and  the  Angler  more  fortunate.  But  I  stepped  by  chance  into 
this  discourse  of  oils  and  fishes  smelling,  and  though  there 
might  be  more  said,  both  of  it  and  of  baits  for  Roach  and  Dace, 
and  other  float-fish,  yet  I  will  forbear  it  at  this  time,  and  tell  you 
in  the  next  place  how  you  are  to  prepare  your  tackling:  con- 
cerning which,  I  will  for  sport-sake,  give  you  an  old  rhyme  out 
of  an  old  fish-book  which  will  prove  a  part,  and  but  a  part,  of 
what  you  are  to  provide. 

My  rod  and  my  line,  my  float  and  my  lead, 
My  hook  and  my  plummet,  my  whetstone  and  knife, 

My  basket,  my  baits  both  living  and  dead, 
•My  net  and  my  meat,  for  that  is  the  chief: 

Then  I  must  have  thread,  and  hairs  green  and  small, 

With  mine  Angling-purse,  and  so  you  have  all. 

But  you  must  have  all  these  tackling,  and  twice  so  many 
more,  with  which  if  you  mean  to  be  a  Fisher,  you  must  store 
yourself;   and   to   that  purpose  I  will   go  with    you  either  to 

143 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  ROACH  AND  DACE 

Mr.  Margrave,  who  dwells  amongst  the  Booksellers  in  St.  Paul's 
Church-yard,   or   to    Mr.  John    Stubs,    near    to    the    Swan    in 
Golden-lane;  they  be  both  honest  men,  and  will  fit 
that^the  tack-      an  Angler  with  what  Tackling  he  lacks. 

^"^■^^dt^mt"  "Ven.    Then,  good  Master,  let  it  be  at for 

Jo^dsfin  the      he  is  nearest  to  my  dwelling,  and  I  pray  let 's  meet 
li°An°k7'  °^      there  the  ninth  of  May   next,    about    two    of  the 
clock,  and  I  '11  want  nothing  that  a  fisher  should  be 
furnished  with. 

Pisc.  Well,  and  I  '11  not  fail  you,  God  willing,  at  the  time 
and  place  appointed. 

Ven.  I  thank  you,  good  Master,  and  I  will  not  fail  you: 
and,  good  Master,  tell  me  what  baits  more  you  remember,  for 
it  will  not  now  be  long  ere  we  shall  be  at  Tottenham-High- 
Cross,  and  when  we  come  thither  I  will  make  you  some 
requital  of  your  pains,  by  repeating  as  choice  a  copy  of  verses 
as  any  we  have  heard  since  we  met  together;  and  that  is  a 
proud  word,  for  we  have  heard  very  good  ones. 

Pisc.  Well,  Scholar,  and  I  shall  be  then  right  glad  to 
hear  them ;  and  I  will  as  we  walk,  tell  you  whatsoever  comes 
in  my  mind,  that  I  think  may  be  worth  your  hearing.  You 
may  make  another  choice  bait  thus :  Take  a  handful  or  two  of 
the  best  and  biggest  wheat  you  can  get,  boil  it  in  a  little  milk, 
like  as  Frumety  is  boiled,  boil  it  so  till  it  be  soft,  and  then  fry 
it  very  leisurely  with  honey  and  a  little  beaten  saffron  dissolved 
in  milk,  and  you  will  find  this  a  choice  bait,  and  good  I  think 
for  any  fish,  especially  for  Roach,  Dace,  Chub,  or  Grayling ;  I 
know  not  but  that  it  may  be  as  good  for  a  river-Carp,  and 
especially  if  the  ground  be  a  little  baited  with  it. 

And  you  may  also  note,  that  the  spawn  of  most  fish  is  a 
very  tempting  bait,  being  a  little  hardened  on  a  warm  tile,  and 
cut  into  fit  pieces.  Nay,  mulberries  and  those  black-berries 
which  grow  upon  briers,  be  good  baits  for  Chubs  or  Carps, 
with  these  many  have  been  taken  in  ponds,  and  in  some  rivers 
where  such  trees  have  grown  near  the  water,  and  the  fruit 
customarily  dropped  into  it ;  and  there  be  a  hundred  other  baits 
more  than  can  be  well  named,  which,  by  constant  baiting  the 
water,  will  become  a  tempting  bait  for  any  fish  ixi  it. 

You  are  also  to  know,  that  there  be  divers  kinds  of  Cadis, 
144 


To  that  purpose  I  will  go  with  you  to  Mr.  John  Stubs,  near  to  the  Swan  in  Golden-lane. 
Y 


AND   HOW  TO   FISH    FOR  THEM 

or  Case-worms,  that  are  to  be  found  in  this  nation  in  several 
distinct  Counties,  and  in  several  little  brooks  that  relate  to 
bigger  rivers ;  as  namely,  one  Cadis  called  a  Piper,  whose 
husk  or  case  is  a  piece  of  reed  about  an  inch  long  or  longer, 
and  as  big  about  as  the  compass  of  a  two-pence ;  these  worms 
being  kept  three  or  four  days  in  a  woollen  bag  with  sand  at  the 
bottom  of  it,  and  the  bag  wet  once  a  day,  will  in  three  or  four 
days  turn  to  be  yellow,  and  these  be  a  choice  bait  for  the  Chub 
or  Chavender,  or  indeed  for  any  great  fish,  for  it  is  a  large 
bait. 

There  is  also  a  lesser  Cadis-worm,  called  a  Cock-spur,  being 
in  fashion  like  the  spur  of  a  cock,  sharp  at  one  end,  and  the 
case  or  house  in  which  this  dwells  is  made  of  small  husks,  and 
gravel,  and  slime,  most  curiously  made  of  these,  even  so  as  to 
be  wondered  at,  but  not  to  be  made  by  man  no  more  than  a 
King-fisher's  nest  can,  which  is  made  of  little  fishes*  bones,  and 
have  such  a  geometrical  interweaving  and  connection,  as  the 
like  is  not  to  be  done  by  the  art  of  man :  this  kind  of  Cadis  is  a 
choice  bait  for  any  float-fish,  it  is  much  less  than  the  Piper- 
Cadis,  and  to  be  so  ordered ;  and  these  may  be  so  preserved, 
ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  days,  or  it  may  be  longer. 

There  is  also  another  Cadis,  called  by  some  a  Straw-worm, 
and  by  some  a  Ruff-coat,  whose  house  or  case  is  made  of  little 
pieces  of  bents,  and  rushes,  and  straws,  and  water-weeds,  and 
I  know  not  what,  which  are  so  knit  together  with  condensed 
slime,  that  they  stick  about  her  husk  or  case,  not  unlike  the 
bristles  of  a  Hedgehog;  these  three  Cadises  are  commonly 
taken  in  the  beginning  of  Summer,  and  are  good  indeed  to  take 
any  kind  of  fish,  with  float  or  otherwise.  I  might  tell  you  of 
many  more,  which  as  these  do  early,  so  those  have  their  time 
also  of  turning  to  be  flies  later  in  Summer;  but  I  might  lose 
myself  and  tire  you  by  such  a  discourse,  I  shall  therefore  but 
remember  you,  that  to  know  these  and  their  several  kinds,  and 
to  what  flies  every  particular  Cadis  turns,  and  then  how  to 
use  them,  first  as  they  be  Cadis,  and  after  as  they  be  flies,  is  an 
art,  and  an  art  that  every  one  that  professes  to  be  an  Angler 
has  not  leisure  to  search  after,  and  if  he  had  is  not  capable  of 
learning. 

I  '11  tell  you.  Scholar,  several  countries  have  several  kinds  of 

145 


OBSERVATIONS   OF  CADIS 

Cadises,  that  indeed  differ  as  much  as  dogs  do :  that  is  to  say, 
as  much  as  a  very  cur  and  a  greyhound  do.  These  be  usually 
bred  in  the  very  little  rills  or  ditches  that  run  into  bigger  rivers, 
and  I  think  a  more  proper  bait  for  those  very  rivers,  than  any 
other.  I  know  not  how  or  of  what  this  Cadis  receives  life,  or 
what  coloured  fly  it  turns  to ;  but  doubtless,  they  are  the  death 
of  many  Trouts,  and  this  is  one  killing  way. 

Take  one,  or  more  if  need  be,  of  these  large  yellow  Cadis, 
pull  off  his  head,  and  with  it  pull  out  his  black  gut,  put  the  body, 
as  little  bruised  as  is  possible,  on  a  very  little  hook,  armed  on 
with  a  red  hair,  which  will  shew  like  the  Cadis-head,  and  a  very 
little  thin  lead,  so  put  upon  the  shank  of  the  hook  that  it  may 
sink  presently;  throw  this  bait  thus  ordered,  which  will  look 
very  yellow,  into  any  great  still  hole,  where  a  Trout  is,  and  he 
will  presently  venture  his  life  for  it,  'tis  not  to  be  doubted,  if  you 
be  not  espied,  and  that  the  bait  first  touch  the  water,  before  the 
line;   and  this  will  do  best  in  the  deepest  stillest  water. 

Next  let  me  tell  you,  I  have  been  much  pleased  to  walk 
quietly  by  a  brook  with  a  little  stick  in  my  hand,  with  which 
I  might  easily  take  these  and  consider  the  curiosity  of  their 
composure :  and  if  you  shall  ever  like  to  do  so,  then  note,  that 
your  stick  must  be  a  little  hasel  or  willow,  cleft,  or  have  a  nick 
at  one  end  of  it,  by  which  means  you  may  with  ease  take  many 
of  them  in  that  nick  out  of  the  water,  before  you  have  any 
occasion  to  use  them.  These,  my  honest  Scholar,  are  some 
observations  told  to  you  as  they  now  come  suddenly  into  my 
memory,  of  which  you  may  make  some  use :  but  for  the  practical 
part,  it  is  that  that  makes  an  Angler:  it  is  diligence,  and 
observation,  and  practice,  and  an  ambition  to  be  the  best  in 
the  art  that  must  do  it.  I  will  tell  you,  Scholar,  I  once  heard  one 
say,  *  I  envy  not  him  that  eats  better  meat  than  I  do,  nor  him 
that  is  richer,  or  that  wears  better  clothes  than  I  do;  I  envy 
nobody  but  him,  and  him  only,  that  catches  more  fish  than  I  do.* 
And  such  a  man  is  like  to  prove  an  Angler,  and  this  noble 
emulation  I  wish  to  you  and  all  young  Anglers. 


146 


CHAPTER  XVIII.  OF  THE  MINNOW  OR  PENK,  OF 
THE  LOACH,  AND  OF  THE  BULL-HEAD,  OR 
MILLER'S-THUMB 

PISCATOR  AND  VENATOR 

PISCATOR.  There  be  also  three  or  four  other  little  fish  that 
I  had  almost  forgot,  that  all  are  without  scales,  and  may 
for  excellency  of  meat  be  compared  to  any  fish  of  greatest 
value,  and  largest  size.  They  be  usually  full  of  eggs  or  spawn 
all  the  months  of  Summer ;  for  they  breed  often,  as  'tis  observed 
mice  and  many  of  the  smaller  four-footed  creatures  of  the  earth 
do ;  and  as  those,  so  these  come  quickly  to  their  full  growth  and 
perfection.  And  it  is  needful  that  they  breed  both  often  and 
numerously,  for  they  be,  besides  other  accidents  of  ruin,  both  a 
prey,  and  baits  for  other  fish.  And  first  I  shall  tell  you  of  the 
Minnow  or  Penk. 

The  Minnow  hath,  when  he  is  in  perfect  season  and  not  sick, 
which  is  only  presently  after  spawning,  a  kind  of  dappled  or 
waved  colour,  like  to  a  Panther,  on  his  sides,  inclining  to  a 
greenish  and  sky-colour,  his  belly  being  milk-white,  and  his  back 
almost  black  or  blackish.  He  is  a  sharp  biter  at  a  small  worm, 
and  in  hot  weather  makes  excellent  sport  for  young  Anglers,  or 
boys,  or  women  that  love  that  recreation,  and  in  the  Spring  they 
make  of  them  excellent  Minnow-Tansies  ;  for  being  washed  well 
in  salt,  and  their  heads  and  tails  cut  ofT,  and  their  guts  taken 
out,  and  not  washed  after,  they  prove  excellent  for  that  use,  that 
is,  being  fried  with  yolks  of  eggs,  the  flowers  of  cowslips,  and  of 
primroses,  and  a  little  Tansie;  thus  used  they  make  a  dainty 
dish  of  meat. 

The  Loach  is,  as  I  told  you,  a  most  dainty  fish,  he  breeds 
and  feeds  in  little  and  clear  swift  brooks  or  rills ;  and  lives  there 
upon  the  gravel,  and  in  the  sharpest  streams :  he  grows  not  to 
be  above  a  finger  long,  and  no  thicker  than  is  suitable  to  that 

147 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  THE  MINNOW,  THE  LOACH 

length.  This  Loach  is  not  unlike  the  shape  of  the  Eel ;  he  has  a 
beard  or  wattels  like  a  Barbel.  He  has  two  fins  at  his  sides,  four 
at  his  belly,  and  one  at  his  tail ;  he  is  dappled  with  many  black 
or  brown  spots,  his  mouth  is  Barbel-like  under  his  nose.  This 
fish  is  usually  full  of  eggs  or  spawn,  and  is  by  Gesner,  and  other 
learned  physicians,  commended  for  great  nourishment,  and  to  be 
very  grateful  both  to  the  palate  and  stomach  of  sick  persons ;  he 
is  to  be  fished  for  with  a  very  small  worm  at  the  bottom,  for  he 
very  seldom  or  never  rises  above  the  gravel,  on  which  I  told  you 
he  usually  gets  his  living. 

The  Miller's-Thumb  or  Bull-Head,  is  a  fish  of  no  pleasing 
shape.  He  is  by  Gesner  compared  to  the  Sea-toad-fish,  for  his 
similitude  and  shape.  It  has  a  head,  big  and  flat,  much  greater 
than  suitable  to  his  body ;  a  mouth  very  wide  and  usually  gaping. 
He  is  without  teeth,  but  his  lips  are  very  rough,  much  like  to  a 
file;  he  hath  two  fins  near  to  his  gills,  which  be  roundish  or 
crested,  two  fins  also  under  the  belly,  two  on  the  back,  one 
below  the  vent,  and  the  fin  of  his  tail  is  round.  Nature  hath 
painted  the  body  of  this  fish  with  whitish,  blackish,  brownish 
spots.  They  be  usually  full  of  eggs  or  spawn  all  the  Summer,  I 
mean  the  females,  and  those  eggs  swell  their  vents  almost  into 
the  form  of  a  dug.  They  begin  to  spawn  about  April,  and  as  I 
told  you,  spawn  several  months  in  the  Summer;  and  in  the 
Winter,  the  Minnow,  and  Loach,  and  Bull-Head,  dwell  in  the 
mud  as  the  Eel  doth,  or  we  know  not  where ;  no  more  than  we 
know  where  the  Cuckoo  and  Swallow,  and  other  half-year-birds, 
which  first  appear  to  us  in  April,  spend  their  six  cold,  winter, 
melancholy  months.  This  Bull- Head  does  usually  dwell  and 
hide  himself  in  holes,  or  amongst  stones  in  clear  water ;  and  in 
very  hot  days  will  lie  a  long  time  very  still,  and  sun  himself,  and 
will  be  easy  to  be  seen  upon  any  flat  stone,  or  any  gravel,  at 
which  time  he  will  suffer  an  Angler  to  put  a  hook  baited  with  a 
small  worm,  very  near  unto  his  very  mouth,  and  he  never  refuses 
to  bite,  nor  indeed  to  be  caught  with  the  worst  of  Anglers. 
Matthiolus  commends  him  much  more  for  his  taste  and  nourish- 
ment, than  for  his  shape  or  beauty. 

There  is  also  a  little  fish  called  a  Sticklebag :  a  fish  without 
scales,  but  hath  his  body  fenced  with  several  prickles.  I  know 
not  where  he  dwells  in  Winter,  nor  what  he  is  good  for  in 
148 


AND  OF  THE  BULL-HEAD  AND  STICKLEBAG 

Summer,  but  only  to  make  sport  for  boys  and  women-anglers, 
and  to  feed  other  fish  that  be  fish  of  prey,  as  Trouts  in  particular, 
who  will  bite  at  him  as  at  a  Penk,  and  better,  if  your  hook  be 
rightly  baited  with  him :  for  he  may  be  so  baited,  as  his  tail 
turning  like  the  sail  of  a  windmill,  will  make  him  turn  more 
quick  than  any  Penk  or  Minnow  can.  For  note,  that  the  nimble 
turning  of  that  or  the  Minnow  is  the  perfection  of  Minnow- 
Fishing.  To  which  end,  if  you  put  your  hook  into  his  mouth, 
and  out  at  his  tail,  and  then  having  first  tied  him  with  white 
thread  a  little  above  his  tail,  and  placed  him  after  such  a  manner 
on  your  hook  as  he  is  like  to  turn,  then  sew  up  his  mouth  to  your 
line,  and  he  is  like  to  turn  quick,  and  tempt  any  Trout :  but  if  he 
do  not  turn  quick,  then  turn  his  tail  a  little  more  or  less  towards 
the  inner  part,  or  towards  the  side  of  the  hook;  or  put  the 
Minnow  or  Sticklebag  a  little  more  crooked  or  more  straight  on 
your  hook,  until  it  will  turn  both  true  and  fast :  and  then  doubt 
not  but  to  tempt  any  great  Trout  that  lies  in  a  swift  stream. 
And  the  Loach  that  I  told  you  of,  will  do  the  like :  no  bait  is 
more  tempting,  provided  the  Loach  be  not  too  big. 

And  now,  Scholar,  with  the  help  of  this  fine  morning,  and 
your  patient  attention,  I  have  said  all  that  my  present  memory 
will  afford  me  concerning  most  of  the  several  fish  that  are 
usually  fished  for  in  fresh  waters. 

Venator.  But,  Master,  you  have  by  your  former  civility  made 
me  hope  that  you  will  make  good  your  promise,  and  say  some- 
thing of  the  several  rivers  that  be  of  most  note  in  this  nation ; 
and  also  of  Fish-ponds,  and  the  ordering  of  them,  and  do  it,  I 
pray,  good  Master,  for  I  love  any  discourse  of  rivers,  and  fish 
and  fishing,  the  time  spent  in  such  discourse  passes  away  very 
pleasantly. 


'49 


CHAPTER  XIX.    OF  SEVERAL  RIVERS,  AND  SOME 
OBSERVATIONS   OF  FISH 

PISCATOR 

WELL,  Scholar,  since  the  ways  and  weather  do  both 
favour  us,  and  that  we  yet  see  not  Tottenham-Cross, 
you  shall  see  my  willingness  to  satisfy  your  desire. 
And  first,  for  the  rivers  of  this  nation,  there  be,  as  you  may 
note  out  of  Dr.  Heylin's  *  Geography'  and  others,  in  number 
325,  but  those  of  chiefest  note  he  reckons  and  describes  as 
followeth. 

The  chief  is  Thamisis,  compounded  of  two  rivers,  Thame 
and  Isis ;  whereof  the  former,  rising  somewhat  beyond  Thame 
in  Buckinghamshire,  and  the  latter  near  Cirencester  in  Glou- 
cestershire, meet  together  about  Dorchester  in  Oxfordshire ;  the 
issue  of  which  happy  conjunction  is  the  Thamisis,  or  Thames. 
Hence  it  flieth  betwixt  Berks,  Buckinghamshire,  Middlesex, 
Surrey,  Kent,  and  Essex,  and  so  weddeth  himself  to  the  Kentish 
Medway  in  the  very  jaws  of  the  Ocean :  this  glorious  river 
feeleth  the  violence  and  benefit  of  the  sea  more  than  any  river 
in  Europe,  ebbing  and  flowing  twice  a  day  more  than  sixty 
miles  :  about  whose  banks  are  so  many  fair  towns,  and  princely 
palaces,  that  a  German  Poet  thus  truly  spake: 

Tot  Campos,  &c. 

We  saw  so  many  Woods  and  Princely  bowers, 
Sweet  Fields,  brave  Palaces,  and  stately  Towers; 
So  many  Gardens,  dress'd  with  curious  care, 
That  Thames  with  royal  Tiber  may  compare. 

2.  The  second  river  of  note,  is  Sabrina  or  Severn ;  it  hath 
it's  beginning  in  Plinilimmon-Hill  in  Montgomeryshire,  and  his 
end  seven  miles  from  Bristol,  washing  in  the  mean  space  the 
150 


OBSERVATIONS   OF   SEVERAL   RIVERS 

walls  of  Shrewsbury,  Worcester,   and  Gloucester,   and  divers 
other  places  and  palaces  of  note. 

3.  Trent,  so  called  for  thirty  kind  of  fishes  that  are  found 
in  it,  or  for  that  it  receiveth  thirty  lesser  rivers,  who  having  his 
fountain  in  Staffordshire,  and  gliding  through  the  Counties  of 
Nottingham,  Lincoln,  Leicester,  and  York,  augmenteth  the 
turbulent  current  of  Humber,  the  most  violent  stream  of  all  the 
isle.  This  Humber  is  not,  to  say  truth,  a  distinct  river,  having 
a  spring-head  of  his  own,  but  it  is  rather  the  mouth,  or  Aestuarium, 
of  divers  rivers  here  confluent  and  meeting  together;  namely, 
your  Derwent,  and  especially  of  Ouse  and  Trent ;  and  (as  the 
Danow,  having  received  into  its  channel,  the  rivers  Dravus, 
Savus,  Tibiscus,  and  divers  others)  changeth  his  name  into 
this  of  HumberabuSf  as  the  old  geographers  call  it 

4.  Medway,  a  Kentish  river,  famous  for  harbouring  the 
Royal  Navy. 

5.  Tweed,  the  North-East  bound  of  England,  on  whose 
northern  banks  is  seated  the  strong  and  impregnable  town  of 
Berwick. 

6.  Tyne,  famous  for  Newcastle,  and  her  inexhaustible  coal- 
pits. These,  and  the  rest  of  principal  note,  are  thus  com- 
prehended in  one  of  Mr.  Drayton's  Sonnets. 

Our  flood's  queen,  Thames,  for  ships  and  swans  is  crown'd, 

And  stately  Severn  for  her  shore  is  prais'd; 
The  crystal  Trent  for  fords  and  fish  renown'd, 

And  Avon's  fame  to  Albion's  cliffs  is  rais'd. 
Carlegion  Chester  vaunts  her  holy  Dee, 

York  many  wonders  of  her  Ouse  can  tell ; 
The  Peak  her  Dove,  whose  banks  so  fertile  be, 

And  Kent  will  say  her  Medway  doth  excell. 
Cotswold  commends  her  Isis  to  the  Thame, 

Our  Northern  borders  boast  of  Tweed's  fair  flood. 
Our  Western  parts  extoll  their  Willy's  fame. 

And  the  old  Lea  brags  of  the  Danish  blood. 

These  observations  are  out  of  learned  Dr.  Heylin,  and  my 
old  deceased  friend,  Michael  Drayton;  and  because  you  say, 
you  love  such  discourses  as  these  of  rivers  and  fish  and  fishing, 
I  love  you  the  better,  and  love  the  more  to  impart  them  to 
you  :  nevertheless.  Scholar,  if  I  should  begin  but  to  name  the 
several  sorts  of  strange  fish  that  are  usually  taken  in  many  of 
z  151 


OBSERVATIONS   OF   FISH 

those  rivers  that  run  into  the  sea,  I  might  beget  wonder  in  you, 
or  unbelief,  or  both  ;  and  yet  I  will  venture  to  tell  you  a  real 
truth  concerning  one  lately  dissected  by  Dr.  Wharton,  a  man  of 
great  learning  and  experience,  and  of  equal  freedom  to  com- 
municate it ;  one  that  loves  me  and  my  art,  one  to  whom  I  have 
been  beholden  for  many  of  the  choicest  observations  that  I 
have  imparted  to  you.  This  good  man,  that  dares  do  any  thing 
rather  than  tell  an  untruth,  did,  I  say,  tell  me,  he  lately  dis- 
sected one  strange  fish,  and  he  thus  described  it  to  me. 

*  The  fish  was  almost  a  yard  broad,  and  twice  that  length ; 
his  mouth  wide  enough  to  receive  or  take  into  it  the  head  of  a 
man,  his  stomach  seven  or  eight  inches  broad :  he  is  of  a  slow 
motion,  and  usually  lies  or  lurks  close  in  the  mud,  and  has  a 
moveable  string  on  his  head  about  a  span,  or  near  unto  a  quarter 
of  a  yard  long,  by  the  moving  of  which, — which  is  his  natural 
bait ; — when  he  lies  close  and  unseen  in  the  mud,  he  draws 
other  smaller  fish  so  close  to  him,  that  he  can  suck  them  into 
his  mouth,  and  so  devours  and  digests  them.' 

And,  Scholar,  do  not  wonder  at  this,  for  besides  the  credit 
of  the  relator,  you  are  to  note,  many  of  these,  and  fishes,  which 
are  of  the  like,  and  more  unusual  shapes,  are  very  often  taken 
on  the  mouths  of  our  sea-rivers,  and  on  the  sea-shore ;  and 
this  will  be  no  wonder  to  any  that  have  travelled  Egypt,  where 
'tis  known  the  famous  river  Nilus  does  not  only  breed  fishes 
that  yet  want  names,  but  by  the  overflowing  of  that  river, 
and  the  help  of  the  sun's  heat  on  the  fat  slime  which  that 
river  leaves  on  the  banks,  when  it  falls  back  into  its  natural 
channel,  such  strange  fish  and  beasts  are  also  bred,  that  no 
man  can  give  a  name  to,  as  Grotius,  in  his  *Sophom,'  and 
others,  have  observed. 

But  whither  am  I  strayed  in  this  discourse  ?  I  will  end  it 
by  telling  you,  that  at  the  mouth  of  some  of  these  rivers  of 
our's.  Herrings  are  so  plentiful,  as  namely,  near  to  Yarmouth 
in  Norfolk,  and  in  the  west-country,  Pilchers  so  very  plentiful, 
as  you  will  wonder  to  read  what  our  learned  Camden  relates 
of  them  in  his  *  Britannia,'  p.  178,  186. 

Well,    Scholar,    I   will   stop    here,  and    tell    you  what    by 
reading   and    conference    I    have    observed   concerning    Fish- 
ponds. 
152 


Makes  excellent  sport  for  young  Anglers,  or  boys,  or  women  that  love  that  recreation. 


CHAPTER  XX.    OF  FISH-PONDS,   AND   HOW  TO 

ORDER  THEM 

PISCATOR 

DOCTOR  LEBAULT,  the  learned  Frenchman,  in  his  large 
discourse  of  *  Maison  Rustique,'  gives  this  direction  for 
making  of  Fish-ponds ;  I  shall  refer  you  to  him  to  read 
it  at  large,  but  I  think  I  shall  contract  it,  and  yet  make  it  as 
useful. 

He  adviseth,  that  when  you  have  drained  the  ground,  and 
made  the  earth  firm  where  the  head  of  the  Pond  must  be,  that 
you  must  then  in  that  place,  drive  in  two  or  three  rows  of  oak 
or  elm  piles,  which  should  be  scorched  in  the  fire,  or  half  burnt 
before  they  be  driven  into  the  earth;  for  being  thus  used,  it 
preserves  them  much  longer  from  rotting ;  and  having  done  so, 
lay  faggots  or  bavins  of  smaller  wood  betwixt  them,  and  then 
earth  betwixt  and  above  them,  and  then  having  first  very  well 
rammed  them  and  the  earth,  use  another  pile  in  like  manner  as 
the  first  were:  and  note,  that  the  second  pile,  is  to  be  of,  or 
about  the  height  that  you  intend  to  make  your  Sluice  or  Flood- 
gate, or  the  vent  that  you  intend  shall  convey  the  overflowings 
of  your  Pond,  in  any  flood  that  shall  endanger  the  breaking  of 
the  Pond-dam. 

Then  he  advises  that  you  plant  willows  or  owlers  about  it, 
or  both,  and  then  cast  in  bavins  in  some  places  not  far  from 
the  side,  and  in  the  most  sandy  places,  for  fish  both  to  spawn 
upon,  and  to  defend  them  and  the  young  fry  from  the  many 
fish,  and  also  from  vermin  that  lie  at  watch  to  destroy  them ; 
especially  the  spawn  of  the  Carp  and  Tench,  when  'tis  left  to 
the  mercy  of  ducks  or  vermin. 

He  and  Dubravius,  and  all  others  advise,  that  you  make 
choice  of  such  a  place  for  your  pond,  that  it  may  be  refreshed 

153 


OBSERVATIONS   OF   FISH-PONDS 

with  a  little  rill,  or  with  rain  water  running  or  falling  into  it ;  by 
which  fish  are  more  inclined  both  to  breed,  and  are  also  refreshed 
and  fed  the  better,  and  do  prove  to  be  of  a  much  sweeter  and 
more  pleasant  taste. 

To  which  end  it  is  observed,  that  such  pools  as  be  large, 
and  have  most  gravel,  and  shallows  where  fish  may  sport  them- 
selves, do  afford  fish  of  the  purest  taste.  And  note,  that  in  all 
pools  it  is  best  for  fish  to  have  some  retiring  place,  as  namely, 
hollow  banks,  or  shelves,  or  roots  of  trees,  to  keep  them  from 
danger  ;  and,  when  they  think  fit,  from  the  extreme  heat  of 
Summer;  as  also  from  the  extremity  of  cold  in  Winter.  And 
note,  that  if  many  trees  be  growing  about  your  pond,  the  leaves 
thereof  falling  into  the  water,  make  it  nauseous  to  the  fish,  and 
the  fish  to  be  so  to  the  eater  of  it. 

'Tis  noted  that  the  Tench  and  Eel  love  mud,  and  the  Carp 
loves  gravelly  ground,  and  in  the  hot  months  to  feed  on  grass : 
you  are  to  cleanse  your  pond,  if  you  intend  either  profit  or 
pleasure,  once  every  three  or  four  years,  especially  some  ponds, 
and  then  let  it  lie  dry  six  or  twelve  months,  both  to  kill  the 
water-weeds,  as  water-lilies,  candocks,  reate,  and  bull-rushes, 
that  breed  there ;  and  also,  that  as  these  die  for  want  of  water, 
so  grass  may  grow  in  the  pond's  bottom,  which  Carps  will  eat 
greedily  in  all  the  hot  months  if  the  pond  be  clean.  The  letting 
your  pond  dry  and  sowing  oats  in  the  bottom  is  also  good,  for 
the  fish  feed  the  faster:  and  being  sometime  let  dry,  you  may 
observe  what  kind  of  fish  either  increases  or  thrives  best  in 
that  water ;  for  they  differ  much  both  in  their  breeding  and 
feeding. 

Lebault  also  advises,  that  if  your  ponds  be  not  very  large 
and  roomy,  that  you  often  feed  your  fish  by  throwing  into  them 
chippings  of  bread,  curds,  grains,  or  the  entrails  of  chickens,  or 
of  any  fowl  or  beast  that  you  kill  to  feed  yourselves ;  for  these 
afford  fish  a  great  relief.  He  says  that  frogs  and  ducks  do 
much  harm,  and  devour  both  the  spawn  and  the  young  fry  of 
all  fish,  especially  of  the  Carp.  And  I  have,  besides  experience, 
many  testimonies  of  it ;  but  Lebault  allows  Water-frogs  to  be 
good  meat,  especially  in  some  months,  if  they  be  fat :  but  you 
are  to  note,  that  he  is  a  Frenchman,  and  we  English  will  hardly 
beheve  him,  though  we  know  frogs  are  usually  eaten  in  his 
154 


AND   HOW  TO   ORDER  THEM 

country :  however,  he  advises  to  destroy  them  and  King-fishers 
out  of  your  ponds  ;  and  he  advises,  not  to  suffer  much  shooting 
at  wild-fowl,  for  that  he  says  affrightens,  and  harms  and 
destroys  the  fish. 

Note,  that  Carps  and  Tench  thrive  and  breed  best  when  no 
other  fish  is  put  with  them  into  the  same  pond ;  for  all  other 
fish  devour  their  spawn ;  or  at  least  the  greatest  part  of  it. 
And  note,  that  clods  of  grass  thrown  into  any  pond,  feed  any 
Carps  in  Summer;  and  that  garden-earth  and  parsley  thrown 
into  a  pond,  recovers  and  refreshes  the  sick  fish.  And  note, 
that  when  you  store  your  pond,  you  are  to  put  into  it  two  or 
three  melters  for  one  spawner,  if  you  put  them  into  a  Breeding- 
pond  ;  but  if  into  a  Nurse-pond,  or  Feeding-pond,  in  which  they 
will  not  breed,  then  no  care  is  to  be  taken,  whether  there  be 
most  male  or  female  Carps. 

It  is  observed,  that  the  best  ponds  to  breed  Carps,  are  those 
that  be  stony  or  sandy,  and  are  warm  and  free  from  wind,  and 
that  are  not  deep,  but  have  willow  trees,  and  grass  on  their 
sides,  over  which  the  water  does  sometimes  flow:  and  note, 
that  Carps  do  more  usually  breed  in  marle-pits,  or  pits  that 
have  clean  clay-bottoms,  or  in  new  ponds,  or  ponds  that  lie  dry 
a  Winter  season,  than  in  old  ponds  that  be  full  of  mud  and 
weeds. 

Well,  Scholar,  I  have  told  you  the  substance  of  all  that 
either  observation  or  discourse,  or  a  diligent  survey  of  Dubravius 
and  Lebault  hath  told  me ;  not  that  they  in  their  long  discourses 
have  not  said  more,  but  the  most  of  the  rest  are  so  common 
observations,  as  if  a  man  should  tell  a  good  arithmetician,  that 
twice  two  is  four.  I  will  therefore  put  an  end  to  this  discourse, 
and  we  will  here  sit  down  and  rest  us. 


155 


CHAPTER  XXI.  DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  OF  A 
LINE,  AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  BOTH 
ROD  AND   LINE 

PISCATOR  AND  VENATOR 

PISCATOR.  Well,  Scholar,  I  have  held  you  too  long  about 
these  Cadis,  and  smaller  fish,  and  rivers,  and  fish-ponds, 
and  my  spirits  are  almost  spent,  and  so  I  doubt  is  your 
patience ;  but  being  we  are  now  almost  at  Tottenham,  where 
I  first  met  you,  and  where  we  are  to  part,  I  will  lose  no  time, 
but  give  you  a  little  direction  how  to  make  and  order  your 
Lines,  and  to  colour  the  hair  of  which  you  make  your  Lines, 
for  that  is  very  needful  to  be  known  of  an  Angler;  and  also 
how  to  paint  your  Rod ;  especially  your  top,  for  a  right-grown 
top  is  a  choice  commodity,  and  should  be  preserved  from  the 
water  soaking  into  it,  which  makes  it  in  wet  weather  to  be 
heavy,  and  fish  ill-favouredly,  and  not  true,  and  also  it  rots 
quickly  for  want  of  painting:  and  I  think  a  good  top  is  worth 
preserving,  or  I  had  not  taken  care  to  keep  a  top  above  twenty 
years. 

But  first  for  your  Line.  First,  Note,  that  you  are  to  take 
care,  that  your  hair  be  round  and  clear,  and  free  from  galls  or 
scabs,  or  frets :  for  a  well-chosen,  even,  clear,  round  hair,  of  a 
kind  of  glass-colour,  will  prove  as  strong  as  three  uneven,  scabby 
hairs,  that  are  ill-chosen,  and  full  of  gall,  or  unevenness.  You 
shall  seldom  find  a  black  hair  but  it  is  round,  but  many  white 
are  flat  and  uneven,  therefore,  if  you  get  a  lock  of  right,  round, 
clear,  glass-colour  hair,  make  much  of  it. 

And  for  making  your  line,  observe  this  rule,  first  let  your 

hair  be  clean  washed  ere  you  go  about  to  twist  it :  and  then 

choose  not  only  the  clearest  hair  for  it,  but  hairs  that  be  of 

an  equal  bigness,  for  such  do  usually  stretch  all  together,  and 

156 


DIRECTIONS   FOR   MAKING  OF  A   LINE 

break  all  together,  which  hairs  of  an  unequal  bigness  never 
do,  but  break  singly,  and  so  deceive  the  Angler  that  trusts 
to  them. 

When  you  have  twisted  your  links,  lay  them  in  water  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  least,  and  then  twist  them  over  again 
before  you  tie  them  into  a  line :  for  those  that  do  not  so,  shall 
usually  find  their  line  to  have  a  hair  or  two  shrink,  and  be 
shorter  than  the  rest  at  the  first  fishing  with  it,  which  is  so 
much  of  the  strength  of  the  line  lost  for  want  of  first  watering 
it  and  then  re-twisting  it ;  and  this  is  most  visible  in  a  seven- 
hair  line,  one  of  those  which  hath  always  a  black  hair  in  the 
middle. 

And  for  dying  of  your  hairs,  do  it  thus :  Take  a  pint  of 
strong  ale,  half  a  pound  of  soot,  and  a  little  quantity  of  the 
juice  of  Walnut-tree  leaves,  and  an  equal  quantity  of  allum ; 
put  these  together  into  a  pot,  pan,  or  pipkin,  and  boil  them 
half  an  hour ;  and  having  so  done,  let  it  cool ;  and  being  cold, 
put  your  hair  into  it,  and  there  let  it  lie :  it  will  turn  your  hair 
to  be  a  kind  of  water,  or  glass-colour,  or  greenish,  and  the 
longer  you  let  it  lie,  the  deeper  coloured  it  will  be :  you  might 
be  taught  to  make  many  other  colours,  but  it  is  to  little  pur- 
pose ;  for  doubtless  the  water-colour,  or  glass-coloured  hair,  is 
the  most  choice  and  most  useful  for  an  Angler ;  but  let  it  not 
be  too  green. 

But  if  you  desire  to  colour  hair  greener,  then  do  it  thus : 

take  a  quart  of  small  Ale,  half  a  pound  of  Allum ;    then  put 

these  into  a  pan  or  pipkin,  and  your  hair  into  it  with  them ; 

then  put  it  upon  a  fire,  and  let  it  boil  softly  for  half  an  hour ; 

and  then  take  out  your  hair,  and  let  it  dry ;  and  having  so  done, 

then  take  a  pottle  of  water,  and  put  into  it  two  handfuls  of 

Marygolds,  and  cover  it  with  a  tile,  or  what  you  think  fit,  and 

set  it  again  on  the  fire,  where  it  is  to  boil  again  softly  for  half 

an  hour,  about  which  time  the  scum  will  turn  yellow ;  then  put 

into  it  half  a  pound  of  Copperas,  beaten  small,  and  with  it  the 

hair  that  you  intend  to  colour ;  then  let  the  hair  be  boiled  softly 

till  half  the  liquor  be  wasted  ;  and  then  let  it  cool  three  or  four 

hours,  with  your  hair  in  it :  and  you  are  to  observe,  that  the 

more  Copperas  you  put  into  it,  the  greener  it  will  be  ;   but 

doubtless  the  pale  green  is  best :  but  if  you  desire  yellow  hair, 
2A  157 


DIRECTIONS   FOR   MAKING   OF  A   LINE 

which  is  only  good  when  the  weeds  rot,  then  put  in  the  more 
Marygolds,  and  abate  most  of  the  Copperas,  or  leave  it  quite 
out,  and  take  a  little  Verdigrise  instead  of  it. 

This  for  colouring  your  hair.  And  as  for  painting  your  rod, 
which  must  be  in  oil,  you  must  first  make  a  size  with  glue  and 
water  boiled  together  until  the  glue  be  dissolved,  and  the  size 
of  a  lye-colour :  then  strike  your  size  upon  the  wood  with  a 
bristle,  or  a  brush,  or  pencil,  whilst  it  is  hot;  that  being  quite 
dry,  take  White-lead,  and  a  little  Red-lead,  with  a  little  Coal- 
black,  so  much  as  all  together  will  make  an  ash-colour ;  grind 
these  all  together  with  Linseed-oil ;  let  it  be  thick,  and  lay  it 
thin  upon  the  wood  with  a  brush  or  pencil ;  this  do  for  the 
ground  of  any  colour  to  lie  upon  wood. 

For  a  Green.  Take  Pink  and  Verdigrise,  and  grind  them 
together  in  Linseed-oil,  as  thin  as  you  can  well  grind  it ;  then 
lay  it  smoothly  on  with  your  brush,  and  drive  it  thin  :  once  doing, 
for  the  most  part,  will  serve,  if  you  lay  it  well ;  and  if  twice,  be 
sure  your  first  colour  be  thoroughly  dry  before  you  lay  on  a 
second. 

Well,  Scholar,  having  now  taught  you  to  paint  your  rod, 
and  we  having  still  a  mile  to  Tottenham  High-cross,  I  will,  as 
we  walk  towards  it,  in  the  cool  shade  of  this  sweet  honeysuckle 
hedge,  mention  to  you  some  of  the  thoughts  and  joys  that  have 
possessed  my  soul  since  we  two  met  together.  And  these 
thoughts  shall  be  told  you,  that  you  also  may  join  with  me  in 
thankfulness,  to  the  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  for 
our  happiness.  And,  that  our  present  happiness  may  appear 
to  be  the  greater,  and  we  the  more  thankful  for  it,  I  will  beg 
you  to  consider  with  me,  how  many  do,  even  at  this  very  time, 
lie  under  the  torment  of  the  Stone,  the  Gout,  and  Tooth-ache ; 
and  this  we  are  free  from.  And  every  misery  that  I  miss  is  a 
new  mercy  :  and  therefore  let  us  be  thankful.  There  have  been, 
since  we  met,  others  that  have  met  disasters  of  broken  limbs ; 
some  have  been  blasted,  others  thunder-strucken ;  and  we  have 
been  freed  from  these,  and  all  those  many  other  miseries  that 
threaten  human  nature  :  let  us  therefore  rejoice  and  be  thankful. 
Nay,  which  is  a  far  greater  mercy,  we  are  free  from  the  un- 
supportable  burthen  of  an  accusing,  tormenting  conscience ;  a 
misery  that  none  can  bear,  and  therefore  let  us  praise  Him  for 
.158 


AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  ROD  AND  LINE 

his  preventing  grace,  and  say,  Every  misery  that  I  miss  is  a 
new  mercy :  Nay,  let  me  tell  you,  there  be  many  that  have 
forty  times  our  estates,  that  would  give  the  greatest  part  of  it 
to  be  healthful  and  cheerful  like  us  ;  who,  with  the  expence  of 
a  little  money,  have  eat  and  drank,  and  laughed,  and  angled, 
and  sung,  and  slept  securely ;  and  rose  next  day,  and  cast  away 
care,  and  sung,  and  laughed,  and  angled  again  ;  which  are 
blessings  rich  men  cannot  purchase  with  all  their  money.  Let 
me  tell  you.  Scholar,  I  have  a  rich  neighbour,  that  is  always 
so  busy  that  he  has  no  leisure  to  laugh ;  the  whole  business  of 
his  life  is  to  get  money,  and  more  money,  that  he  may  still  get 
more  and  more  money ;  he  is  still  drudging  on,  and  says,  that 
Solomon  says,  *  The  diligent  hand  maketh  rich ' :  and  it  is  true 
indeed  ;  but  he  considers  not  that  'tis  not  in  the  power  of  riches 
to  make  a  man  happy :  for  it  was  wisely  said,  by  a  man  of  great 
observation,  *That  there  be  as  many  miseries  beyond  riches, 
as  on  this  side  them ' :  and  yet  God  deliver  us  from  pinching 
poverty ;  and  grant,  that  having  a  competency,  we  may  be 
content  and  thankful.  Let  not  us  repine,  or  so  much  as  think 
the  gifts  of  God  unequally  dealt,  if  we  see  another  abound  with 
riches ;  when,  as  God  knows,  the  cares,  that  are  the  keys  that 
keep  those  riches,  hang  often  so  heavily  at  the  rich  man's 
girdle,  that  they  clog  him  with  weary  days,  and  restless  nights, 
even  when  others  sleep  quietly.  We  see  but  the  outside  of  the 
rich  man's  happiness :  few  consider  him  to  be  like  the  Silk- 
worm, that,  when  she  seems  to  play,  is,  at  the  very  same  time, 
spinning  her  own  bowels,  and  consuming  herself.  And  this 
many  rich  men  do ;  loading  themselves  with  corroding  cares, 
to  keep  what  they  have,  probably,  unconscionably  got.  Let 
us,  therefore,  be  thankful  for  health  and  a  competence,  and 
above  all,  for  a  quiet  conscience. 

Let  me  tell  you.  Scholar,  that  Diogenes  walked  on  a  day, 
with  a  friend,  to  see  a  country  fair;  where  he  saw  ribbons, 
and  looking-glasses,  and  nut-crackers,  and  fiddles,  and  hobby- 
horses, and  many  other  gimcracks ;  and  having  observed  them, 
and  all  the  other  finnimbruns  that  make  a  complete  country 
fair ;  he  said  to  his  friend,  *  Lord  !  How  many  things  are  there 
in  this  world,  of  which  Diogenes  hath  no  need  ? '  And  truly  it 
is  so,  or  might  be  so,  with  very  many  who  vex  and  toil  them- 

159 


DIRECTIONS   FOR   MAKING   OF  A   LINE 

selves  to  get  what  they  have  no  need  of.  Can  any  man  charge 
God,  that  he  hath  not  given  him  enough  to  make  his  life  happy  ? 
No,  doubtless  ;  for  nature  is  content  with  a  little :  and  yet  you 
shall  hardly  meet  with  a  man  that  complains  not  of  some  want ; 
though  he,  indeed,  wants  nothing  but  his  will,  it  may  be, 
nothing  but  his  will  of  his  poor  neighbour,  for  not  worshipping, 
or  not  flattering  him :  and  thus,  when  we  might  be  happy  and 
quiet,  we  create  trouble  to  ourselves.  I  have  heard  of  a  man 
that  was  angry  with  himself  because  he  was  no  taller,  and  of  a 
woman  that  broke  her  looking-glass  because  it  would  not  shew 
her  face  to  be  as  young  and  handsome  as  her  next  neighbour's 
was.  And  I  knew  another,  to  whom  God  had  given  health, 
and  plenty ;  but  a  wife,  that  nature  had  made  peevish,  and  her 
husband's  riches  had  made  purse-proud,  and  must,  because  she 
was  rich,  and  for  no  other  virtue,  sit  in  the  highest  pew  in  the 
church ;  which,  being  denied  her,  she  engaged  her  husband 
into  a  contention  for  it ;  and,  at  last,  into  a  law-suit  with  a 
dogged  neighbour,  who  was  as  rich  as  he,  and  had  a  wife  as 
peevish  and  purse-proud  as  the  other:  and  this  law-suit  begot 
higher  oppositions,  and  actionable  words,  and  more  vexations 
and  law-suits ;  for  you  must  remember,  that  both  were  rich, 
and  must  therefore  have  their  wills.  Well,  this  wilful,  purse- 
proud  law-suit,  lasted  during  the  life  of  the  first  husband :  after 
which  his  wife  vexed  and  chid,  and  chid  and  vexed,  till  she  also 
chid  and  vexed  herself  into  her  grave ;  and  so  the  wealth  of 
these  poor  rich  people  was  curst  into  a  punishment ;  because 
they  wanted  meek  and  thankful  hearts  ;  for  those  only  can  make 
us  happy.  I  knew  a  man  that  had  health  and  riches,  and  several 
houses,  all  beautiful  and  ready  furnished,  and  would  often  trouble 
himself  and  family  to  be  removing  from  one  house  to  another : 
and  being  asked  by  a  friend.  Why  he  removed  so  often  from 
one  house  to  another  ?  replied,  *  It  was  to  find  content  in  some 
one  of  them.'  But  his  friend  knowing  his  temper,  told  him,  if 
he  would  find  content  in  any  of  his  houses,  he  must  leave  him- 
self behind  him ;  for,  content  will  never  dwell  but  in  a  meek 
and  quiet  soul.  And  this  may  appear,  if  we  read  and  consider 
what  our  Saviour  says  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel ;  for  he  there 
says, — *  Blessed  be  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. — 
Blessed  be  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God. — Blessed 
i6o 


AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  ROD  AND  LINE 

be  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  their's  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
And, — Blessed  be  the  meek,  for  they  shall  possess  the  earth.* 
Not  that  the  meek  shall  not  also  obtain  mercy,  and  see  God, 
and  be  comforted,  and  at  last  come  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
but  in  the  mean  time  he,  and  he  only,  possesses  the  earth  as 
he  goes  toward  that  kingdom  of  heaven,  by  being  humble  and 
cheerful,  and  content  with  what  his  good  God  has  allotted 
him  :  he  has  no  turbulent,  repining,  vexatious  thoughts,  that 
he  deserves  better ;  nor  is  vexed  when  he  sees  others  possessed 
of  more  honour,  or  more  riches  than  his  wise  God  has  allotted 
for  his  share ;  but  he  possesses  what  he  has  with  a  meek  and 
contented  quietness ;  such  a  quietness  as  makes  his  very 
dreams  pleasing,  both  to  God  and  himself. 

My  honest  Scholar,  all  this  is  told  to  incline  you  to  thank- 
fulness; and  to  incline  you  the  more,  let  me  tell  you,  that 
though  the  Prophet  David  was  guilty  of  murder  and  adultery, 
and  many  other  of  the  most  deadly  sins :  yet  he  was  said  to  be 
a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  because  he  abounded  more  with 
thankfulness  than  any  other  that  is  mentioned  in  holy  scripture, 
as  may  appear  in  his  book  of  Psalms ;  where  there  is  such  a 
commixture  of  his  confessing  of  his  sins  and  unworthiness,  and 
such  thankfulness  for  God's  pardon  and  mercies,  as  did  make 
him  to  be  accounted  even  by  God  himself,  to  be  a  man  after  his 
own  heart :  and  let  us  in  that,  labour  to  be  as  like  him  as  we 
can ;  let  not  the  blessings  we  receive  daily  from  God,  make  us 
not  to  value,  or  not  praise  him,  because  they  be  common ;  let 
not  us  forget  to  praise  him  for  the  innocent  mirth  and  pleasure 
we  have  met  with  since  we  met  together :  What  would  a  blind 
man  give  to  see  the  pleasant  rivers,  and  meadows,  and  flowers, 
and  fountains,  that  we  have  met  with  since  we  met  together? 
I  have  been  told,  that  if  a  man,  that  was  born  blind,  could 
obtain  to  have  his  sight  for  but  only  one  hour,  during  his  whole 
life,  and  should,  at  the  first  opening  of  his  eyes,  fix  his  sight 
upon  the  Sun  when  it  was  in  his  full  glory,  either  at  the  rising 
or  setting  of  it,  he  would  be  so  transported  and  amazed,  and  so 
admire  the  glory  of  it,  that  he  would  not  willingly  turn  his  eyes 
from  that  first  ravishing  object,  to  behold  all  the  other  various 
beauties  this  world  could  present  to  him.  And  this,  and  many 
other  like  blessings,  we  enjoy  daily;   and  for  most  of  them, 

i6i 


DIRECTIONS   FOR   MAKING   OF  A   LINE 

because  they  be  so  common,  most  men  forget  to  pay  their 
praises;  but  let  not  us,  because  it  is  a  sacrifice  so  pleasing  to 
him  that  made  that  Sun,  and  us,  and  still  protects  us,  and  gives 
us  flowers,  and  showers,  and  stomachs,  and  meat,  and  content, 
and  leisure  to  go  a-fishing. 

Well,  Scholar,  I  have  almost  tired  myself,  and,  I  fear,  more 
than  almost  tired  you :  but  I  now  see  Tottenham  High- 
Cross  ;  and  our  short  walk  thither  shall  put  a  period  to  my  too 
long  discourse ;  in  which  my  meaning  was,  and  is,  to  plant  that 
in  your  mind,  with  which  I  labour  to  possess  my  own  soul :  that 
is,  a  meek  and  thankful  heart.  And,  to  that  end,  I  have  shewed 
you  that  riches  without  them  do  not  make  any  man  happy. 
But  let  me  tell  you,  that  riches  with  them  remove  many  fears, 
and  cares;  and  therefore  my  advice  is,  that  you  endeavour  to 
be  honestly  rich,  or  contentedly  poor:  but  be  sure  that  your 
riches  be  justly  got,  or  you  spoil  all.  For  it  is  well  said  by 
Caussin,  *he  that  loses  his  conscience,  has  nothing  left  that  is 
worth  keeping.'  Therefore  be  sure  you  look  to  that.  And,  in 
the  next  place,  look  to  your  health :  and  if  you  have  it,  praise 
God,  and  value  it  next  to  a  good  conscience ;  for  health  is  the 
second  blessing  that  we  mortals  are  capable  of;  a  blessing  that 
money  cannot  buy;  and  therefore  value  it,  and  be  thankful  for 
it.  As  for  money,  which  may  be  said  to  be  the  third  blessing, 
neglect  it  not :  but  note,  that  there  is  no  necessity  of  being 
rich:  for  I  told  you,  there  be  as  many  miseries  beyond  riches, 
as  on  this  side  them :  and,  if  you  have  a  competence,  enjoy  it 
with  a  meek,  cheerful,  thankful,  heart.  I  will  tell  you.  Scholar, 
I  have  heard  a  grave  Divine  say,  that  God  has  two  dwellings, 
one  in  Heaven,  and  the  other  in  a  meek  and  thankful  heart. 
Which  Almighty  God  grant  to  me,  and  to  my  honest  Scholar : 
and  so  you  are  welcome  to  Tottenham  High-Cross. 

Venator.  Well,  Master,  I  thank  you  for  all  your  good 
directions ;  but  for  none  more  than  this  last  of  thankfulness, 
which  I  hope  I  shall  never  forget.  And  pray  let's  now  rest 
ourselves  in  this  sweet  shady  arbour,  which  Nature  herself 
has  woven  with  her  own  fine  fingers ;  'tis  such  a  contexture 
of  Woodbines,  Sweetbriar,  Jessamine,  and  Myrtle,  and  so  inter- 
woven, as  will  secure  us  both  from  the  sun's  violent  heat,  and 
from  the  approaching  shower  ;  and,  being  sat  down,  I  will 
162 


And  pray  let's  now  rest  ourselves  in  this  sweet  shady  arbour,  which  Nature  herself  has 
woven  with  her  own  fine  fingers. 


AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  ROD  AND  LINE 

requite  a  part  of  your  courtesies  with  a  bottle  of  Sack,  Milk, 
Oranges,  and  Sugar;  which  all  put  together,  .make  a  drink 
like  Nectar,  indeed,  too  good  for  any  body  but  us  Anglers ;  and 
so,  Master,  here  is  a  full  glass  to  you  of  that  liquor;  and 
when  you  have  pledged  me,  I  will  repeat  the  verses  which  I 
promised  you ;  it  is  a  copy  printed  amongst  some  of  Sir  Henry 
Wotton's,  and  doubtless  made  either  by  him,  or  by  a  lover  of 
Angling.  Come,  Master,  now  drink  a  glass  to  me,  and  then 
I  will  pledge  you,  and  fall  to  my  repetition;  it  is  a  description 
of  such  country  recreations  as  I  have  enjoyed  since  I  had  the 
happiness  to  fall  into  your  company. 

Quivering  fears,  heart-tearing  cares, 
Anxious  sighs,  untimely  tears, 

Fly,  fly  to  courts. 

Fly  to  fond  worldlings'  sports. 
Where  strain'd  Sardonic  smiles  are  glosing  still, 
And  grief  is  forc'd  to  laugh  against  her  will. 

Where  mirth's  but  mummery, 

And  sorrows  only  real  be. 


Fly  from  our  country  pastimes,  fly, 
Sad  troops  of  human  misery : — 

Come  serene  looks, 

Clear  as  the  crystal  brooks, 
Or  the  pure  azur'd  heaven  that  smiles  to  see 
The  rich  attendance  on  our  poverty; 

Peace  and  a  secure  mind, 

Which  all  men  seek,  we  only  find. 


Abused  mortals,  did  you  know 

Where  joy,  heart's-ease  and  comforts  grow, 

You'd  scorn  proud  towers. 

And  seek  them  in  these  bowers; 
Where  winds  sometimes  our  woods  perhaps  may  shake, 
But  blustering  care  could  never  tempest  make, 

Nor  murmurs  e'er  come  nigh  us. 

Saving,  of  fountains  that  glide  by  us. 


Here's  no  fantastic  masque,  nor  dance, 
But  of  our  kids  that  frisk  and  prance ; 
Nor  wars  are  seen, 
Unless  upon  the  green 
2  6  163 


DIRECTIONS   FOR  MAKING  OF  A  LINE 

Two  harmless  lambs  are  butting  one  the  other, 
Which  done,  both  bleating  run  each  to  his  mother. 
And  wounds  are  never  found, 
Save  what  the  ploughshare  gives  the  ground. 

Here  are  no  entrapping  baits 
To  hasten  too,  too  hasty  fates,— 

Unless  it  be 

The  fond  credulity 
Of  silly  fish,  which,  worldling  like,  still  look 
Upon  the  bait,  but  never  on  the  hook: — 

Nor  envy,  'less  among 

The  birds  for  price  of  their  sweet  song. 

Go,  let  the  diving  Negro  seek 

For  gems  hid  in  some  forlorn  creek: 

We  all  pearls  scorn, 

Save  what  the  dewy  morn 
Congeals  upon  each  little  spire  of  grass. 
Which  careless  shepherds  beat  down  as  they  pass: 

And  gold  ne'er  here  appears, 

Save  what  the  yellow  Ceres  bears. 

Blest  silent  groves !    Oh  may  you  be 
For  ever  Mirth's  best  nursery! 

May  pure  contents 

For  ever  pitch  their  tents 
Upon  these  downs,  these  meads,  these  rocks,  these  mountains, 
And  Peace  still  slumber  by  these  purling  fountains: 

Which,  we  may  every  year 

Meet  when  we  come  a-fishing  here. 

Pisc.  Trust  me,  Scholar,  I  thank  you  heartily  for  these 
verses,  they  be  choicely  good,  and  doubtless  made  by  a  lover 
of  Angling :  Come,  now,  drink  a  glass  to  me,  and  I  will  requite 
you  with  another  very  good  copy :  it  is  a  Farewell  to  the  Vanities 
of  the  World,  and  some  say,  written  by  Sir  Harry  Wotton,  who 
I  told  you  was  an  excellent  Angler.  But  let  them  be  writ  by 
whom  they  will,  he  that  writ  them  had  a  brave  soul,  and  must 
needs  be  possessed  with  happy  thoughts  at  the  time  of  their 
composure. 

Farewell  ye  gilded  follies,  pleasing  troubles ; 
Farewell  ye  honour'd  rags,  ye  glorious  bubbles; 
Fame's  but  a  hollow  echo,— Gold,  pure  clay;— 
Honour,  the  darling  but  of  one  short  day  :— 
164 


AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  ROD  AND  LINE 

Beauty,  th'  eye's  idol,  but  a  damask'd  skin: — 
State,  but  a  golden  prison,  to  live  in 
And  torture  free-born  minds  :—Embroider'd  trains 
Merely  but  pageants  for  proud  swelling  veins  :— 
And  blood  ally'd  to  greatness,  is  alone 
Inherited,  not  purchas'd,  nor  our  own. 
Fame,  Honour,  Beauty,  State,  Train,  Blood,  and  Birth, 
Are  but  the  fading  blossoms  of  the  earth. 


I  would  be  Great,— but  that  the  Sun  doth  still 

Level  his  rays  against  the  rising  hill : 

I  would  be  High,— but  see  the  proudest  oak 

Most  subject  to  the  rending  thunder-stroke: 

I  would  be  Rich,— but  see  men  too  unkind, 

Dig  in  the  bowels  of  the  richest  mind : 

I  would  be  Wise,— but  that  I  often  see 

The  fox  suspected,  whilst  the  ass  goes  free : 

I  would  be  Fair, — but  see  the  fair  and  proud, 

Like  the  bright  Sun  oft  setting  in  a  cloud: 

I  would  be  Poor,— but  know  the  humble  grass 

Still  trampled  on  by  each  unworthy  ass: 

Rich  hated :— Wise  suspected  :— Scorn'd  if  poor  :— 

Great  fear'd :— Fair  tempted :— High,  still  envy'd  more : 

I  have  wish'd  all;  but  now  I  wish  for  neither; 

Great,  High,  Rich,  Wise,  nor  Fair;  Poor  I'll  be  rather. 

Would  the  World  now  adopt  me  for  her  heir, 

Would  Beauty's  Queen  entitle  me  the  fair,— 

Fame  speak  me  Fortune's  minion,— could  I  vie 

Angels  with  India,— with  a  speaking  eye 

Command  bare  heads,  bow'd  knees,  strike  Justice  dumb, 

As  well  as  blind  and  lame,  or  give  a  tongue 

To  stones  by  epitaphs:  be  called  great  master 

In  the  loose  rhymes  of  every  poetaster : — 

Could  I  be  more  than  any  man  that  lives. 
Great,  fair,  rich,  wise,  all  in  superlatives: 
Yet  I  more  freely  would  these  gifts  resign, 
Than  ever  Fortune  would  have  made  them  mine; 
And  hold  one  minute  of  this  holy  leisure, 
Beyond  the  riches  of  this  empty  pleasure. 

Welcome,  pure  thoughts.  Welcome  ye  silent  groves. 
These  guests,  these  courts  my  soul  most  dearly  loves: 
Now  the  wing'd  people  of  the  sky  shall  sing 
My  cheerful  anthems  to  the  gladsome  Spring: 
A  Pray'r-book  now,  shall  be  tdy  looking-glass, 
In  which  I  will  adore  sweet  Virtue's  face. 

I6S 


DIRECTIONS   FOR   MAKING   OF  A   LINE 

Here  dwell  no  hateful  looks,  no  palace-cares, 
No  broken  vows  dwell  here,  nor  pale-fac'd  fears: 
Then  here  I'll  sit,  and  sigh  my  hot  love's  folly, 
And  learn  t'  affect  an  holy  melancholy: 
And  if  Contentment  be  a  stranger,— then 
I'll  ne'er  look  for  it,  but  in  Heaven  again. 

Ven.  Well,  Master,  these  verses  be  worthy  to  keep  a  room 
in  every  man's  memory.  I  thank  you  for  them;  and  I  thank 
you  for  your  many  instructions,  which  God  willing,  I  will  not 
forget :  and  as  St.  Austin  in  his  *  Confessions,'  Book  4,  Chap.  3, 
commemorates  the  kindness  of  his  friend  Verecundus,  for  lending 
him  and  his  companion  a  country-house,  because  there  they 
rested  and  enjoyed  themselves  free  from  the  troubles  of  the 
world ;  so,  having  had  the  like  advantage,  both  by  your  con- 
versation and  the  Art  you  have  taught  me,  I  ought  ever  to  do 
the  like :  for  indeed,  your  company  and  discourse  have  been  so 
useful  and  pleasant,  that  I  may  truly  say,  I  have  only  lived 
since  I  enjoyed  them  and  turned  Angler,  and  not  before. 
Nevertheless,  here  I  must  part  with  you,  here  in  this  now  sad 
place,  where  I  was  so  happy  as  first  to  meet  you :  but  I  shall 
long  for  the  ninth  of  May,  for  then  I  hope  again  to  enjoy  your 
beloved  company  at  the  appointed  time  and  place.  And  now 
I  wish  for  some  somniferous  potion,  that  might  force  me  to 
sleep  away  the  intermitted  time,  which  will  pass  away  with  me 
as  tediously,  as  it  does  with  men  in  sorrow ;  nevertheless  I  will 
make  it  as  short  as  I  can  by  my  hopes  and  wishes.  And  my 
good  Master,  I  will  not  forget  the  doctrine  which  you  told  me 
Socrates  taught  his  Scholars,  that  they  should  not  think  to  be 
honoured  so  much  for  being  Philosophers,  as  to  honour  Philo- 
sophy by  their  virtuous  lives.  You  advised  me  to  the  like 
concerning  Angling,  and  I  will  endeavour  to  do  so,  and  to  live 
like  those  many  worthy  men,  of  which  you  made  mention  in 
the  former  part  of  your  discourse.  This  is  my  firm  resolution ; 
and  as  a  pious  man  advised  his  friend,  that  to  beget  mortifica- 
tion he  should  frequent  churches,  and  view  monuments  and 
charnel-houses,  and  then,  and  there  consider,  how  many  dead 
bones  Time  had  piled  up  at  the  gates  of  Death  :  so  when  I 
would  beget  content,  and  increase  confidence  in  the  power,  and 
wisdom,  and  providence  of  Almighty  God,  I  will  walk  the 
166 


AND  FOR  THE  COLOURING  OF  ROD  AND  LINE 

meadows  by  some  gliding  stream,  and  there  contemplate  the 
lilies  that  take  no  care,  and  those  very  many  other  various  little 
living  creatures,  that  are  not  only  created,  but  fed,  man  knows 
not  how,  by  the  goodness  of  the  God  of  Nature,  and  therefore 
trust  in  him.  This  is  my  purpose;  and  so,  *Let  every  thing 
that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord':  And  let  the  blessing  of 
St.  Peter's  Master  be  with  mine. 

Pisc.    And  upon  all  that  are  lovers  of  virtue ;   and  dare 
trust  in  his  Providence,  and  be  quiet,  and  go  a-Angling. 

'STUDY  TO  BE  QUIET.' 


Text  printed  by  T.  and  A.  Constable,  Printers  to  His  Majesty,  Edinburgh 
The  Coloured  Plates  printed  by  Henry  Stone  and  Son,  Ltd.,  Baubury 


VF   n I  I  7q 


